Beyond The Cycle Of Hatred
by Agrithnum-aut
Summary: Certain changes in the past will help shape the future, but will young Naruto and his grandmother, Madara, be able to break the curse that plagues the world, let alone their own clan? Maybe a certain Uchiha down the line may be able to help with their journey along the way... !Kind Itachi !OOC Sasuke !Female Sasuke
1. Prologue

**This story will replace Lives of the Many, Promises to Keep. Why, one might ask? Uhh… that didn't turn out the best. It was harder and harder to follow my original plan without making it like… I don't know… too long? It probably would have had to be cut into too many pieces for me to count, and, welp… it sucked to say the least. Before any hate rolls in from the following story, including the rolling "kill yourself" 's that will inevitably come. I tried. It just wasn't gonna happen, and I don't want a story I had no more interest in writing to deter me from writing something else. Rather, I'm going to create a clean slate. This is the start of a more recent idea, not one from however many years ago. The original dialogue and part-take of the character description** _ **will**_ **be OOC for two reasons that are important to keep in mind.**

 **1- It will allow the story to flourish, as per the title. That and, the end goal will become a lot clearer than the previous attempt at a longer fic.**

 **2—It won't become a jumbled mess in the future, because I know exactly where I want to go, but rather would like to leave an open mind to current and future events on how they would go. That and, if anything gets** _ **too**_ **cheesy in the future, I'll likely scrap it and restart my idea over from the last chapter following on. This is to help with the constant writer's block that plagues me from writing too quickly, as some might have seen.**

 **One last thing before I get started. I have no idea if even a shred of this will be original, given how** _ **vast**_ **the amount of fics there are containing this, but I hope it is one of the better ones in the end.**

"Normal Speaking/Story Dialogue" – In Regular Print

" _Thoughts, Emphasis, Shouting" –_ In _Italics_

" **Kyuubi/Tailed Beast/Distorted Chatter"** In **Bold**

" _ **Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/Kyuubi Thought (In same section of dialogue)"**_ In _**Bold Italics**_

 _ **Disclaimer - I own nothing, obviously. I don't get a dime for this, obviously. Oh, and, meow... I guess...**_

* * *

It was yet another beautiful day in Konohagakure, one that, despite the daily errands of ninja flying across the village in a frenzy to get to their stations. Why, one might ask?

The birth of none other than Madara and Hashirama's son. Madara had always been the one wearing the pants in the relationship- her husband had been too passive and kind to a fault to really cause her any harm, including the time during their _intimate_ moments. But still a faint trace of mind had come across to her aged form, for she had been probably one of the oldest to give birth in quite a while during the times of peace that had ensued after the first of the Great Shinobi Wars. Even the thought of the meaningless conflict had made her spite most of the world for it, the same thoughts shared by their Uzumaki allies who had taken to hermit on their island, only coming out in once in a while to grant peace treaties between the other villages. As the strongest of all, they were expected to lead the pack, no matter how stagnant they might be. _All is good… but…_

Madara mused on the petty differences that had caused the first war, the first being the amount of jinchuuriki allowed to the stone, and how many tails' worth they had, as well as the rival power of ninja that could manipulate sand within Suna, a new and upcoming village despite the strife that had come along in the past that had dissuaded them from growing any larger. That and, there was a problem with other villages whenever two strong ninja had children, more importantly, when she and her husband, Hashirama, had just had their own, despite the threats put upon by Iwa and the one of the other stronger hidden villages, Kumo. _No doubt if they found out we had a son, our village would be caught in conflict. I don't doubt that they figured something was up when I didn't appear at this year's meeting at Ame. Kami bless us if we can't keep our innocent child a secret…_

"Mada-chan." Looking up from the baby in her arms, suckling at her breast, she smiled. His voice had always been soothing in the worst of times… such a prospect was expected from a natural born leader. _And lover…_ she mused.

"Yes, dear?"

"You know what must happen if our child is to live even a somewhat normal life." She knew this was going to happen, and, with a grunt of pain left over from her very recent birthing of her child, she stood on shaky legs, only being caught by her husband. _We waited until our sixties to give this child breath… poor thing._

"I know… Hashi-kun… it's just that I wish we could have spent more time with our poor child before all of this happened. From the death of your brother, Tobirama, to the new title given to his student Hiru-kun, I don't know what to do. I want to love and nurse my child here, to w-watch him f-flourish and grow… to see him become a f-fi-fine young man." Tears poured out of her eyes, down the still reminiscently beautiful face she held, aged like a fine wine, as her husband used to say. She broke down, trying to give her young one the attention and affection that she could with all her heart, desperately wishing the best for her only child.

"If only Mito-chan didn't die so early on, that we wouldn't have had to have that poor fox sealed into that gem… and then you came to me. I cannot for the life of me, find why this world had to be so cruel. I'm angry… Hashi-kun. I hate this world so much… all that it took and it continues to keep taking!" Kissing her forehead, he wept as well, grief had stricken the pair- how could it not? They had worked so hard to build peace, enough that it had cost the life of her husband's first wife, and now the life of his son from the family they built.

"I know, Mada-chan. I know how you feel. But all is not lost. If it means that our lineage can continue through him, for his blood and the Will of Fire to be passed down, we must. We must spare more families from enduring the same pain we have, if we must. If that means he must have a hard life, then it must happen, but it is for the best. I will have Ren and Kagura look out for him, but nobody must know that he comes from us. I will not let him suffer, Mada-chan. You have my word. He will be taken care of in the orphanage by the retired shinobi that have taken to making it a hospice for orphans. He _will_ live on." She nuzzled into his arms, wailing loudly. Her only son would grow up without knowing his true parents. _I just wish that I could say I love him, just once for him to understand._

Wiping away her tears, she could feel her eyes burning, and her heart yearned for something more than just distant relation. She had given him her son, and with a nod, he disappeared with a whisk of air, leaves falling to the floor as her son left her eyes. A fleeting thought tousled with her feelings, playing at her heart strings, making her regret even wider to fill the hole that had come into her heart. _Minato-kun… be safe…_

* * *

 _ **Kyuubi Rampage- Konohagakure no Sato**_

"Men, continue firing at the Kyuubi! Use any means necessary to take it down! _Now!_ " The leader of the supposed shinobi shouted, getting the attention of the men and women, all dressed in typical shinobi garb ranging from Chuunin to Anbu. From Byakugan to Sharingan, it didn't matter. The mighty beast had continued to rampage on, catching the attention of a rather old, but not ancient woman housed in the Hokage mansion. Her eyes were special, the Magekyou had long since formed and evolved into the Rinnegan, but not without the help of tragedy to part her during the First Shinobi War. _This fighting must cease._

In a flash, her son, yet clueless to his heritage, came before her. He never came to her unless it was a favor, or if it was to spend time with her- much obliged by her age-addled mind. Wearily standing with the help of her cane, she knew that age had caught up to her. _I wonder if I could somehow grow younger. In my glory days, I could have very easily stopped this Bijuu from tearing our village apart._ She cursed her old age, a thorn in her side ever since it had begun to take a toll on her rapidly decreasing health.

"I trust you need me for some plan. Is it my eyes, Minato-kun?" Nodding, he solemnly vowed to make it up to the elderly matriarch of the Uchiha. _She probably knows what I'm going to do… Kami have mercy on my son…_

His golden hair swayed in the wind of the outside world, and his solemn stature could only mean one thing.

"Yes… I need you to control this monster before it destroys the village… and then…" _Should I risk not telling her?_

"And then you plan to seal it inside your son. Is that correct? You do know what the means, right?" Nodding, he grasped her hand, whisked away in a flash of yellow reminiscent of his hair. _Again, this vile world takes the life of my son… where is it headed now?_

* * *

 _ **Sealing Site – Border of Konohagakure no Sato**_

They had hastily appeared in a rather flashy appearance, surrounded by Anbu and, much to her surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. He was probably one of the only people she had told of her relation to the younger Kage. Now in his thirties, it hadn't been a surprise to say that he had been the youngest Hokage to reach the seat- her husband, Hashirama, had been thirty-five. A true prodigy in every sense of the word. But, alas, as the Kyuubi, as far as she could tell was trapped in an Uchiha's mind control, but she knew not of who it was. Though a few names did come to mind.

The great tailed beast had made much headway to their location, Kushina and Minato had stood side by side, watching and waiting as thundered to their position from a distraction- a well-placed Rasengan in Minato's part. Trepidation continued to come from their bodies- There was nobody to stop the angered beast in its tracks. It continued, roaring and the like, a deep snarl coming from its maw as it thrust its claws- nothing but malice coming in behind its strike in intent to kill the small child which, it assumed, was meant to trap him once again.

The claws continued to whine and part the air, coming close and closer, until golden chains had come to stop it in its tracks. It struggled, however, to contain the beast for long- they had to start the sealing ritual.

"Kushina… I know you just gave birth to our son… but the sacrifice must be made. I need to seal him away!" An angered tic came across her head, but she knew the reasons that he had done what he had set out to do. _If he tried to seal it back into me… I would die from chakra overload. He escaped once, damaging my chakra coils… but… if he tried entering me again, I would die for sure this time._

" _I know, Minato!_ _Don't make this harder than it already is!_ " She gasped in horror as several of her chains broke, even then, with Madara attempting to enter its mind, proving her efforts futile. She grasped her cane in near crushing force. _I won't let his family die, not like this!_

"Minato, Kushina, get back! _Now_!" They didn't listen, instead throwing themselves before their child, blood erupting in fountains as the claw tore its way into their bodies. She only successfully countered part of the force of the claw- it proved futile once more when he had broken through the barrier she had set in hopes of stopping the rabid beast. Even then, the left-over chains wrapping around its form held it in place along with their sunken bodies. _N-Not again._

She could only sit in silence, eyes wide and mood fouled as she witnessed the sealing. He hadn't bothered to think of what might happen if he sealed the _entire_ Bijuu into the body of the young one. He had done it regardless- there was no time, no other way to do so.

Thunder and lightning. Rain and sleet. In a downpour that left the muddy ground _gleaming_ … nothing could stop her heart from shattering by the sound of the poor child, wailing, crying as his parents struggled to spit out their last goodbye to their son as they left the world- never to return. _I would use Rinne Rebirth… but I am far too weak now… my body would surely break before its completion, and their wounds prove too grievous even for me. Kuso… kuso!_

Throwing away her cane, she stumbled as fast as her wiry muscles would take her, stopping before the child to take it into her arms as she panted, her breath having already been taken away by the gruesome scene. Tears dripped away as she looked at the long dead bodies of the boy's parents… of her only son. It was a sad truth in this world, that many ninja did not live long, for tragedy had a way of striking suddenly, and death will part even the strongest of marriages out of spite for a new beginning. Downtrodden, grief-stricken, _heartbroken_. To think that, the strongest Hokage since Hashirama could not even seal the beast, it was both a testament and a sad factor that had played out before her. _Either way he would have died. I knew something would happen, but again, I was too far, too late to do anything once again._

Nursing the small baby in her arms, she smiled in melancholy as he twiddled with her long, lustrous, yet silver hair- another testament to her age that had yet to be absolved. _A seal… wait… no…_

She slammed her fist against the stone table, crushing it under her fist as her eyes glowered with nothing but the same pain that had cost her a life with her little boy. _No more._

"I will _not_ let this happen again. This has gone far too long, and I won't stand for this anymore. _Hiruzen_!" He had appeared before her, kneeling- unfitting of the man who had been the successor of the title "God of Shinobi."

"Whatever you need, I will give to you. I think it's time that I took up the mantle of Hokage once more, for the sake of your grandson, Madara."

"Agreed. I will protect my baby grandson at all costs. Now tell me this… _where the hell were your students when we needed them_?!" He looked away in shame. Tsunade had left the village in search of self-acceptance, and Jiraiya? He'd done well enough to look into a mercenary group called the Akatsuki. Both of them knew what it had cost them for their mistakes.

"Nowhere near here… and I can't say sorry enough, no matter how much it won't cut it. I understand your reasons for grief and anger. I wouldn't blame you if you decided to raze this village to the ground in anger. But, for the sake of your son, we must do something about this situation." Resisting the urge to kill the man she had once helped to call little brother, she sighed, letting her age get the better of her as she gave up her resentment. _It's not worth the world for my anger… yet I can feel it burning inside me. Hashi-kun, you knew that my will was not as strong as your own, yet you had faith in me. I can't- I won't let this village burn in recompense for all our mistakes. Change is coming._

"I will not let you take him away from me, nor will he grow up under another man or woman's eye. He is mine to keep, for he is the only thing holding my lineage together."

"But, isn't that dangerous? You and Minato have both made fierce enemies who will stop at nothing to hunt him down! This isn't the life they would have wanted-" Opening her Rinnegan, she flared her chakra, forcing him to take a step back. Any emotion she had went into her display of power, for her great reserve had not been lost on her by the sentience of old age.

"Do not even mention them in my presence, Hiruzen. He will stay with me, with a loving family no matter what cost. He will certainly grow stronger, and with the genes he has from our families, I imagine that he will be that Child of Prophecy that Jiraiya was always talking about. I am proud, but I will also stand by my beliefs. This hatred, this war… it will not infect the life of my grandson _over my dead body._ " _Do not mistake my anger for hatred, Hiruzen. I only want what's best for him, and him alone. I would break to my hatred if I were to see another one of my children suffer…_

Looking back at him, she sighed again. _It looks as if we will both need Tsunade and Jiraiya's expertise._

"One last thing. Sign the papers and allow me to adopt him. After that, send word for both Tsunade and Jiraiya- tell them it is of utmost importance. They will want to hear this.: Nodding, he vanished in a swirl of leaves, allowing her for the first time to truly study the infant within her arms. He had small tufts of hair, dark, almost unnoticeably red at the tips, yet it was as clear as day that he had inherited the Uchiha blood, the rest of the mop atop his head was too dark for black to describe the color. _Like the maelstrom that hides beneath, you are a child who will know what it means to lead. One day, I know you will turn into something great, by my honor as an Uchiha._

* * *

 **That does it for the prologue, so, do not fret at all, this will not be abandoned or stalled for good reason. But, I cannot promise a stable upload schedule. One-shots and other happenings will come in between, so keep an eye out for those as well if you follow them. Also, I want you all to keep in mind,** _ **all**_ **negativity will be ignored. I don't care about your opinions unless they help. Furthermore, if you don't like the way this is going already, you can certainly leave without flaming the story. Nobody wants to hear the shit you put out if you're one of** _ **those**_ **people.**

 **Anyways, on a more positive note, let me know what pairing you want me to do next! I've got a whole list of them to do, and not time to do it. So, lemme get to work so you can all start reading some of my ideas in the series of one-shots that I've been releasing.**


	2. Within Our Grasp, The Enemy Remains

**Welcome to chapter two of Beyond The Cycle Of Hate!**

 **Now, to a positive note…**

 **Insanemaelstorm- Thank you! I'm glad you think so highly of this already. I'll try to keep up to your standards, as I'm feeling quite motivated for this next chapter.**

 **Spark681- I'm glad that you notice me, senpai :D**

 **Anyways, the way I explain chakra will be a little bit different than that of the Naruto-verse. Rather, because it becomes a bit boring, and limitations on** _ **everyone**_ **makes it a little less fun to write, especially with an upcoming scene ahead. There is a "maximum" amount of chakra one has, and rather instead of basing it loosely as it is in the series, it will be based off the peak physical condition mixed with the prowess of the ninja arts. In other words, one person with more than one affinity will always have more chakra than someone who is working on their first affinity, no matter what. More will be explained in the following chapter, which will give insight on to how much chakra each important in the series has.**

 **There is one thing that concerns me. When people use acronyms or abbreviations for things that just** _ **don't**_ **need it. Please, do yourself a favor and just** _ **stop**_ **.**

 **Also, concerning the usage of time-skips. Several will be used to point out small differences in time, but there will only be three to four more major timeskips in this entire story(depending on how much I feel like writing into their childhood) in order to create a more stable point of**

 **Even if there was only one review, it's only been a few hours since I posted, as of the start of this author's note right now. Besides that, let's roll!**

"Normal Speaking/Story Dialogue" – In Regular Print

" _Thoughts, Emphasis, Shouting" –_ In _Italics_

 **"** **Kyuubi/Tailed Beast/Distorted Chatter"** **In** **Bold**

 **"** _ **Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/Kyuubi Thought (In same section of dialogue)/Jutsu"**_ **In** _ **Bold Italics**_

 _ **Disclaimer – I don't own anything. Nor will I ever.**_

* * *

 _ **Madara Uchiha Residence – August 1st**_

With a loud yawn, one five-year-old Naruto woke to the sound of chirping birds, the small creatures gently making noise as they flew to and fro, tree to tree to get to their nests. _Ugh… training starts_ _today_ _…_

Groaning, he slipped from his bed, retrieving a simple pair of black pants, a mesh shirt, and his last black shirt from a nearby drawer, shutting it closed as he pulled the waistband to his sleepwear and frankly _peeled_ it off his already sweating body. _Why can't I get a break?_ He bemoaned, shrugging the clothes to the floor and tossing them into a nearby laundry basket. When he'd looked in his drawer, there wasn't much left in it. _Laundry day is coming up._ Surprisingly, it was one of his favorite days, because it usually meant he'd get a break from physical training to smell like actual soap for once. The little boy was surprised that there weren't any sweat stains on his shirts from the past few weeks, as it had gotten a little bit intense for him.

After slinging on his boots, he rushed through tying them, failing not once, but _thrice_ in his rush to get ready. He slowly stepped to the door, careful not to make any more noise, lest he wake up his grandmother, and start training early that day.

Sliding the door open, he peered around the corners, sighing in relief as he hadn't detected anything near him. _I bet my crazy grandma would die to-_

He shrieked loudly as a finger poked him in the small of his back, making him not only jump into the ceiling, but also crash down into the floor in a moaning heap. He groaned as he looked up at his smiling grandmother, who, for whatever reason, had decided to scare the ever-living-crap out of him.

Bringing him into her arms, she rested her chin in the top of his head, bringing him to the floor with pure tickling power. His loud laughter was sure to wake up the entire neighborhood at this rate…

Turning the tables, he reached under her pits and brushed his fingers along a rather familiar spot, making the not-quite-elderly woman howl in laughter, clearly enjoying what she'd started. With a huff, he got off the still laughing woman, a few words muttered under his breath.

"Crazy grandma… tryna give me a heart attack…" Standing up, she rubbed the top of his head affectionately, ignoring the cute pout glued to his face with a beaming smile.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that little Naru-kun. You wouldn't want more exercise today, now would you?" With a squeak he stopped, shivers coming through his spine at the very thought. _She's a slave driver!_

"No… Madara baa-chan…"

"Anyways." With a cough she cleared her throat, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and looking up to see the sunlight pouring through the windowsill.

"Now that it's finally tomorrow, you're going to be learning your rite of passage. I expect you to get it down by next month, understood?" With an excited nod, he happily clung to the woman, swaying about as she spun him around, laughing, giggling, but also… happy. She too smiled, her mind wandering about her thoughts as she stared into his innocent eyes. _I won't let him become defenseless. He's going to need to grow up sometime. Maybe a little earlier wouldn't hurt?_

"I won't let you down, Madara baa-chan! I'll get it down in two weeks, flat! You just watch me!" Her smile hadn't faded as she patted his head, leading him through several hallways until they reached the door leading into the streets of the Uchiha District. Coming through the door, she reveled in the warmth of the beating sun, taking pride in her steadily following grandchild. It was no surprise to the residents that she took pride, his chakra levels at his own age were incredible- something to be expected of Hashirama and Madara's lineage.

Stopping in the middle of the street, she bent down, kissing his forehead, and placed her hands onto the young boy's shoulders, stopping his bouncing as he tilted his head in curiosity.

"How about this. If you do well enough when I teach you this jutsu, how about we go take a visit to Ayame-chan and Teuchi-kun for some ramen?" With a smile so wide it threatened to split his face, he pumped his fist in the air with nothing short of a victory cry.

"That ramen is as good as mine!"

"Well then, I _expect_ that since you've mastered tree walking and you're far ahead on water walking, that this will be a cake walk, no?"

"All right! Let's go, baa-chan! I wanna show you what I can do!" She chuckled as he led her by hand to the private training grounds located to the north of the compound, a common place where all Uchiha alike learn the _**Goukakyu no Jutsu**_. It is, after all, a rite of passage for all children of the clan wishing to become shinobi or kunoichi." He looked at her in wonder- he was going to become a _true_ Uchiha! One who would be able to protect the village!

But, he stopped. He noticed something on her forehead, something he hadn't noticed before, since her hair had likely been covering it. He pointed to it, mind crumbling as he tried to understand.

"What is that mark on your forehead, baa-chan?" She froze as she stared at her grandson in shock, jaw hanging limply he peered at her with his own, now a single tomoe Sharingan replaced what used to be there. _I thought I had placed a Genjutsu. What is he?_

"Why does everything look so much clearer now?" She looked on in surprise. _To have unlocked his eyes so young…. and from nothing but excitement nonetheless…. Naruto!_

"Well, I think I can answer that. Let me… ah. There it is." Holding the mirror in front of his face, she let him stare in awe as he rubbed his fingers around his eyes, closing and opening his eyelids, all in a matter of both shock and awe.

" _I unlocked my Sharingan!_ " He shouted at the top of his lungs, bringing many to look on in shock, pride, and for some of the children passing by, _jealousy_. It was unheard of. The earliest one had come across their eyes had been Itachi, at the age of 8. This was surely a sign… a sign of many things to come.

"Well, settle down now. I think that, even with only a few days you will be able to learn that jutsu. With _your_ reserves, I firmly believe that you will do it. Come. We will postpone physical training today. You are in better shape than anyone in your age group, and you move faster than most Chuunin already, which comes to my next task for you. Come." Disappearing in an apt body flicker, she buzzed into the Uchiha District Training Grounds, stopping to allow her younger counterpart time to calm himself.

"Naru-kun. I will be right back with some supplies that will help you grown in the future, in fact, it's impeccable that we start now to further your progress." If he wasn't bouncing up and down then, he _surely_ was now, threatening to distract the other two, both recognized as Itachi and Satsuki, from across the lake. With a small wave and a puff of smoke, she disappeared once again.

"Alright!" The young lady that _had_ been trying to unlock her chakra snapped, a tic mark forming as she angrily stomped over to where the other child had been standing. She pouted, pointing her finger at him with a rather annoyed front.

"Hey! You _never_ showed up to orientation! What are you doing, Naruto?!" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, apologetically smiling in return.

"I was kinda busy... ya know? I was training… sheesh." Slamming her forehead against his, it left him to hold the spot where it had hit, leaving him to question why she had ever come over in the first place. He only met her like, three weeks ago! He dodged her tackle, and, well, left her to go flying into the lake. Head first.

It took a moment, but she kept flailing around and muttering childish curses, some of them not even making any sense as her blush rose to an all new high. It looked like someone had stopped by to literally paint her face a deep crimson as she struggled to stay above the surface.

Sighing, he walked over, and, much to Itachi's chagrin, stepped upon the surface of the water, not at all bothered as he hoisted her up onto his shoulder, padding and walking over to the dock. He set her down when, funnily enough, she threatened to bite him- something he was sure she would follow up on.

And so, that left the situation for his grandmother, Madara, to return to. Even then, a grin still cracked on her lips, leaving a haughty bout of laughter as Itachi, with a comedic amount of difficulty, tried settling down his little sister. Poking her forehead, it started another flurry of childlike insults, mostly because she was cold, wet, and embarrassed beyond belief. _This almost seems like… if it were not a shinobi world, that it was within the grasp of peace._

She knew, however, that it was not possible, not with the grudges that the Five Great Shinobi Nations held against one another. The world was a cruel, dark, and cold place. Unforgiving even to the smallest infant. That was how she grew up. _I'll be damned if I let them suffer from our mistakes!_

Withholding her anger, she sighed, calling out to young Naruto as he tried, in vain, to calm his newest friend, Satsuki. Looking over, he nodded, flipping away as he dodged a finger headed his direction.

"Anyways. I heard the gist of it. She's trying to unlock her chakra, yes?" With a nod, he stayed silent. Even with his theory of doing so, it had to work for every individual based on the flow, the pattern of their chakra as it came out of the body.

"That is correct, Madara-sama." Mulling her fist to the top of his head, she sent him into the water, leaving him of all people, all wet and bothered.

"I won't accept this 'sama' crap, understood? We are family. Of the same blood. Kin. There is no greater or lesser, only equals." Bashfully nodding, he coated himself quickly in fire chakra, taking care as to not burn himself, but only to dry off his soaked clothing.

"Hai, Ma- obaa-chan." Smirking, she clapped him on the back, straightening his already ridged posture.

"Good. Anyways, there are two types of spinning chakra that correlate, oddly enough, to the direction your hair spins. If it spins left, so does your chakra, and if it spins right, vice versa. She must be trying to push it straight out of her body, regardless of flow. I intend to correct that. Satsuki-chan, come here, young one." Skipping over to her, she sat on a nearby fallen log, observing her closely, almost too closely, however. She literally looked as serious as one of the elder shinobi. _Good. I expected nothing less from an upcoming shinobi._

Good. Let me see your hair." Peering down into her mess of hair, she pushed it aside, searching near, at, and around the middle of the top of her head, and with a grunt, she found what she had been looking for as she took a step back. _Her chakra reserves are much higher, almost too high for her age. Luckily, she isn't nearly like young Naruto in that regard._

"I see. Your chakra spins to the left." She looked utterly lost and confused. _Say what?_

"I don't understand…"

"For emphasis, you should let it flow naturally, don't force your chakra outwards, but imagine yourself in a dome of spinning chakra. Let it come out as it flows in its natural current, and don't fight it, but let it shape itself and mold around you as physically as possible. That way, you won't stress or damage your chakra coils when it comes out." Meekly, she brought in her legs to meditate, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. She let it out, and, with startling ease, begun to trickle out her own chakra, coming out in a steady pulse, almost as if it were following her heartbeat as it flowed around her. _Come on, Satsuki! You can do it!_

In succession, it kept growing and growing, steadily coming out as it rotated around her form as it buzzed about her body, keeping a good flow around her body. In fact, it was coming to visible light, a soft, yet still radiant and powerful shade of blue. Naruto smiled a bit, and he knew what to expect from her, yet she didn't even know.

"Get a grasp, a feel for how much chakra that was just let go from you, and don't push or tuck it in, but slowly halt it. Allow it to accustom to your body, and let it reform evenly when it stops flowing. Be strong, young one." With a small intake of breath, it started to recede, albeit at a snail's pace. Slow enough that they couldn't visibly feel how much she had been expunging from her body until it was almost down to a trickle. With a bright smile, Naruto sat down next to her once she was finished, giggling up a fit.

Again, with a rather throbbing vein, Satsuki thwacked him over the head using a branch, making him cringe as the pain hit the back of his skull, leaving Madara and Itachi to sigh. _It's going to be a long day…_

Naruto didn't do anything in retaliation, however, and chose to sit back up, rubbing the back of his head as he tried, in vain, to ignore the fact that the young girl had her toungue sticking out, almost teasing in manner. He fought off a blush. She was cutesy, and he wasn't going to let it get to him.

"Ah… ouch. Anyways, what did you want me to do, baa-chan?"

"Ahem. Oh right. I want you to channel a bit of chakra into this. I assume you know what this means, Naruto?" He resisted the tempting bounce in his leg, hiding his bubbling excitement as he took the sheet of almost vanilla colored paper into his hands.

"Y-Yeah… so what do you think I'll get?" She smiled, ruffling his hair as she brought her palm to her chin, adopting a thinking pose. _Well… the chances are nearly unpredictable. Minato-kun had an incredibly strong affinity for wind, earth, and fire, while Kushi-chan had it out for lightning and water. I myself have an affinity for all of the elements except for wind… so I guess it's a toss up?_

Though, secretly, Naruto was hoping to just have _one_ element. _I really got a bad feeling about this… knowing my baa-chan and mom and dad... I'll be stuck training until I'm dead!_

Setting it down onto a boulder, he put his index finger onto the middle of the sheet of chakra paper, fingers crossed as tears managed to come to his eyes once he'd started channeling chakra.

Once the paper had split into four sections, his heart dropped as the boulder it'd been sitting on appeared to have gashes, lines of where it had hit in its surface rather visibly. A flitting piece had caught flame, enough so to warrant the attention of his grandmother in surprise. Even more surprising, the only piece left on the surface was literally a solid, yet dented and cracked rock. _I hate my life._

He should have expected it, but, it didn't stop him from whimpering when the last two pieces, respectively, was radiating lightning that kept sparking off of the other, which had, at this point, become a small puddle in the ground. Naruto sighed. He _was_ going to be training until he was dead. _Again, I hate my life…_ _a lot_ _._

He almost whimpered when he saw the borderline _menacing_ gaze that his grandmother gave him. _This is why I had a bad feeling… kami help us all!_

Satsuki kept shaking his shoulder, trying to get his attention as she pointed out towards the remnants of the paper, clearly excited and bustling with energy.

"I wanna try and see if I can do that too!" Relinquishing a piece of paper, Satsuki immediately channeled chakra into it, getting the shock of a lifetime when the paper literally burned her hand, falling to ash, yet smoldering into the grass alongside another crinkled piece, crackling and radiating the rest of the lightning chakra remaining in it. The last piece? It was slightly damp- not too cold but not too warm, either. Probably from the heat of the other pieces, she would guess.

She bounded around, taking no time to leap into her brother's arms as she excitedly jabbered on and on, uncouth and not paying attention to the knuckles loudly popping behind her. Naruto, however? He was booking it as fast as he could. In vain, of course. In vain. It hadn't even taken her a moment to grab his shoulder and hold him down as he trembled in fear. Though, even mercy comes once in a while, to her thought process- but certainly not her actions. _I am going to thoroughly enjoy bea- I mean teaching these elements to him!_

"For running, you're gonna make a quick detour before we start. Instead, you're going to send three hundred clones to the Konoha Jutsu library with one of my own. And, you only get to dispel ten every hour. You, however? You will be sitting here, controlling a flame inside of a leaf until you get it. Oh and, one more thing. Make sure at least twenty of them are studying new fire jutsu while I teach you. But, for the present, it's _bonding_ time!" Nodding dumbly, he did as he was told, amassing chakra and sending them away to the library, wishing them his thanks as they marched off to what seemed like the most boring task of their lives.

* * *

 _ **Uchiha District Training Grounds – August 23**_ _ **rd**_

Naruto could be seen sitting in the same spot, staring into his hands as he attempted to hold the flames that burned atop all of his fingers, sweating and nervously grinning in success. Relinquishing the chakra flow, they whisked from existence, blown apart by a gathering wind, carrying the sound of a ringing bell coming from a double-sided bell ringer. It was loud, and annoying, so with precision, he threw a kunai at it, wishing for it to quiet itself. Though, he found his kunai coming back at him with greater force, forcing him to roll backwards in order to dodge without injury. Thus, he found himself in a bad situation. Madara was sitting on him, forcing him to compensate for her weight as she nibbled on a piece of dango, twiddling the stick between her teeth in mild annoyance.

"Naruto, what did I tell you about destroying alarm clocks?" With a disgruntled exhale, he pushed up, forcing his abdomen to breathe- only for her to put her full weight onto his back as he tried to get up. _This is annoying…_

" _I get it, I get it!_ No more destroying alarm clocks unless I want it to come out of my personal funds…"

"In which you do not have any, because you're a what?"

"A child…" He murmured, trailing off almost completely out of ear shot from his ruthless sensei/kindly grandmother.

"You're a what? I didn't quite catch that."

" _I'm a child, baa-chan!_ " Getting off of him, she heaved him to his feet, patting the dust off of his clothing with a smirk on her face, rubbing her nose against his own.

"And don't you forget it. You aren't an adult, or considered one in this village, until you are a Genin. A ninja, in other words. However, you are far past the level of the average Genin at this point, so, I will cut you some slack."

"Ramen?" Smacking her forehead, she soured rather quickly.

"Yes… _ramen_." For the life of her, she could not figure out his addiction to either sushi or ramen, but she was determined to make sure it didn't become a regular eating habit. She would _not_ have a midget of a grandchild! _Besides… who can even consume that much salt?! It's almost like it's part of his anatomy for how much he stuffs down whenever we go there._ Though, she couldn't complain. At least he was eating something when they went out. _I swear I'm seeing these boys get skinnier and skinnier. They don't ever have any meat on their bones when they become at least Genin, damn it! And that doesn't even compare to the kunoichi._ She shivered a bit- she was never as close to looking famished as some of Itachi's fangirls. She hoped that never became here.

"But, anyways. You never told me about that seal on your forehead. What is it?" With a sigh, she motioned him over, letting him sit on her lap as she tried to find words to explain it. He was going to figure it out sooner or later, most of all because of his hit subject, _fuinjutsu_.

"I don't know how else to explain it other than a chakra seal." Furrowing his eyebrows, he complained that he wasn't getting enough details and, she would have to indulge him. It was his _right_ to know about it.

"Tsunade and Jiraiya made this for me a small while ago. Mostly so, in other words, I could relive life in my body from when I was thirty, as opposed to my current age." Looking up, his eyes were about as innocent, wide, and near heartbreaking as ever. She would eventually have to use it, but at the moment, it did not seem she would any time soon. _Unless those damned Akatsuki are involved._

"How old are you, Madara baa-chan?" Coughing on the last bite, she hesitantly swallowed. _I don't think that he'll take this well…_

"You see, Naru-kun… it has two purposes. To withhold a large amount of chakra, the Yin half, precisely, to subsequently raise my physical and chakra related prowess, healing all wounds that had been afflicted to me." His smile couldn't get any wider than it was already. Her little grandson, she hesitated to call him her own son, for how he had lit up her world these past few years. It had been a joy to be near him.

"That's awesome! You could like, totally take on the world with that! But you still didn't answer me. What does your age have to do with this?" Her poor boy. _He's going to be heartbroken when he hears this… but… he needs to hear this from me, if anything happens._

"You see, my real age is nearing about a century. But-"

"No way! You're too pretty for that baa-chan!" Nuzzling the adorable boy into her arms, she squeezed him, feeling for him, to make sure that it wasn't a dream. Her little boy was going to make a woman happy with his honesty. _Probably that Satsuki girl…_ she mused.

"Besides the point, here's the deal. I was too old to have the seal done on me for numerous reasons. The only reason why I survived the transformation was because of my strong life force, the chakra reserves I held were too great for me to succumb to its affects. However, if I use this seal… Naru-kun…" She cut off, a sole tear made its way onto his face, and she ignored his plea to stop. _He needs to know…_

"Then what… what will happen, baa-chan?" She looked at him with uncertainty, a clear effort was made not to drop the subject until he was older… but… a thought passed along, and she dreaded the fact that it was true. _When will the Akatsuki come after my little boy? When will they decide that he too, must be sacrificed?_

"I will… I-I will... I will die, Naru-kun…" _He must have known… damn._ She petted his hair, letting the smaller boy look on in confusion- it was a sensitive topic, but, it was almost unknown to the small boy. He had not been old enough to truly witness the death of his parents, so she would only be able to guess on how much time she had left. _Even now… my body is deteriorating faster than expected. I will die soon regardless. The only thing I can hope is that I can pass on everything I know to him… my sweet, sweet child._ Looking up at the clock, she sighed- it was time for one of her routine check-ups. And she was sure, that… even with the medicine… no good was to come from it.

She coughed, and with a rather hushed gasp, she noticed the unsettling splotch of red that gathered into her palm. When he had tried to look over, she stretched back, quickly wiping any trace of it away, onto the back of the small bench. _I need to go now._

Petting Naruto's hair, she smiled, tousling his hair about with her hand. He knew something was amiss, but, he would let her tell him in her own time. He knew, that, for a fact, that everything was not as it seemed.

"I need to go pay Tsunade-chan a visit. Would you wait here like a good boy?" With a nod, he would wait. And with a heaving sigh, he went back inside the house, making her smile a bit, as she turned away once he had shut the door. Though, when she had tried to shunshin, she felt nothing. Her chakra, even if it were for a moment, felt as if it had truly vanished. And she tried and tried to channel it, but it would not let her budge. With a sigh, she kicked off onto a building, panting as her vision had become blurry from the strain. _It's happening much sooner than I thought! I need to get to her!_

Panting and heaving, she jumped from building to building, all the way until she had reached Konoha's Medic Corps, where she would no doubt find Tsunade. She was the only one who would be able to help.

Her breath was caught inside her throat, and without a doubt, she knew that the coffin had come knocking early. She could not see for the life of her, and her muscles… they felt as if they were imploding on themselves, crushing her beneath the strain. Luckily Tsunade had happened to be delivering a report to the front desk, a patient list, to see her walk in. Almost immediately, despite the voices deafening, and the blood roaring in her ears as she was rushed into the emergency room… she knew, without a doubt, that she was going to die soon. It was, as she said, only a matter of time before age finally caught up to her.

She didn't know how much time had passed as they desperately hooked her up, needles into her rapidly aging body- all in futile efforts to keep her alive. And then, it stopped. Her vision had begun to fade, and the voices… although distorted… were very worried. _To be coddled like the old woman I am... Is this as far as I go? Naruto-kun?_

She smiled, even now, what probably had been well over two hours from personal experience with hospitals, she could feel his small hands gripping at her hand, giving the warmth, all of the love he could convey in that very moment. And in those brief moments, she spoke…

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth, looking at the clock, doing random assortments of physical exercise that could be contained in the house, frantically sensing his grandmother's fading chakra presence. He looked at the time… _Noon? It's been three hours since she left for the hospital… I_ _need_ _to check up on her._

Without any time to waste, slipped his boots back on and shot off towards the hospital. He was angry, worried, and doubtful. Would he make it in time? For that was the only question he could formulate in his mind as he landed at the front entrance, speeding through the front desk to get directions to her room number. Once he'd gotten a reply he dashed past her, ignoring her pleas for security, despite his lineage to the elderly woman.

Once he'd entered the room, he saw her. Pale, wrinkled, almost shrewd in nature for how old she really was, but despite that, she looked happy. Enough for two, three, hell the whole world. Her features, as much as he would admit, seemed to be reforming as her chakra pulse steadily grew back into what he was used to it being. Holding her hand seemed to work, and she slowly drifted in and out of consciousness, despite the fact that she was coming back to normal- for him, at least.

"Don't worry, child. I won't die just yet. I still have a good fight left in me, and _you_ still have training to complete.

Tsunade took in the fact that the boy was there once Madara had receded back out of the danger zone, enough to give her a scare, that was _for sure._ She had given everyone in the room a scare- enough that even Jiraiya was there, despite the fact he would, as he put it, was "gallantly researching" the women's bathing house.

Taking off the rag to keep sweat from dripping from her forehead, Tsunade knelt down beside Naruto, giving him a small pat on his head, again, fiddling with his hair.

"Is she gonna be okay, Tsunade onee-chan?" She grinned as she embraced the quivering boy into her arms, coddling and rocking him back and forth in her arms. _He was so worried that he rushed past the front desk to get to her._

"You're a brave boy, Naruto-chan. A brave boy. She's going to be fine, but… you wouldn't be convinced until you have soon otherwise, ne?" He nervously smiled, lulling himself to sleep, having dealt with enough that day as it was, all with his precious obaa-chan's hand cradled in his arms, never letting go.

"Yeah…" The boy mumbled, whether unknowingly or knowingly responding from his subconscious, the only though coming to mind after that was to stay by her side, one way or another.

After a while, when he had long since fallen asleep in the chair next to her bed, Tsunade grasped the sage like woman's attention.

"You know what this means, right?" In response she sadly nodded, looking back and forth between herself and the light of her life. Young Naruto had done wonders, but now? It could mean only one thing if the first attack had already come.

"I understand. How much time do I have left, Tsunade-chan?" She sighed, looking between her papers, drawing and crunching numbers on a blank piece of paper, a rough estimate, she would guess, would be fairly accurate.

"Surpsingly, you show no signs of returning attacks. However… what I found as the cause for concern was… unsettling…"

"I am not in the mood for games. Explain now, or hold your tongue." With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair, taking the seat next to her as she stared once again at her trembling hands. It had been a while since she had lost someone, but she was determined to make it last.

"You ruptured a major artery in your heart, the circumflex artery, which supplies blood to your left atrium, among the rear and front of it as well. But the reason for it was not old age. Rather, your chakra is poisoning itself because of the seal. With the seal off, given that you kept it on for another three years, it would leave you with another three years at the most, with or without it. It seems that your body is trying to reject your own chakra system, a case that is highly uncommon, unorthodox even, unless poison is involved. I don't want to believe it, but… I think that, given the nature and the natural growth of the plant that is involved, I would not put it past to say that it could have been anyone from someone in your clan to… well… maybe anyone in the entirety of the village, including the council. You know that including Danzo, there are a few that are calling for you to pass into old age, and I would suspect that Root operatives may once more be on the move. This poison is not only tasteless, odorless, and scentless, but it is partially a neurotoxin with the probability of being developed into something akin to a virus, which is commonly used among his forces for extended years of interrogation. Unless you want a blood transfusion, with which I would have to find a member of your clan with the same blood type, you will not live to see Naruto's twelfth birthday unless something is done. You know-" She heard enough to make her blood boil. To think that someone like _Danzo,_ one of Hiruzen's teammates had the _audacity_ to hide behind cowardice to take her down. _This is unforgivable. I do not mind dying in peace… but I do mind dying when it means that Naruto will grow up without me. He will pay, in due time. But not by me. Wait a second… she didn't mention how the poison is spread… Kami… no…_

"How is the poison usually spread… Tsunade?" She gulped. Was it a good idea to tell her?

"Well… in most cases… through liquids like water or even, in some cases, alcohol. It helps speed the process in which it spreads by bonding with the natural enzymes and minerals contained within drinking water and, as I said before, alcohol. It would not be far-fetched to say they put it in your home's personal reservoir…" Threatening her was one thing. But assassination? As if she would let her home fall to such paltry tricks.

"Is there a way to remove it?"

"Boil the water, and use extreme heat to burn away the poison. It's the only way to cause it to break down quick enough, but, with how much you have already consumed, that _Naruto_ has consumed… it's hard to say what will happen. I'm less worried about Naruto because the Kyuubi would, from medical experience with Kushina, burn away the poison before it even enters his bloodstream, no matter how undetectable it may be. The fox has a sharp eye to look out for its containers if it means saving its own life, by living through the eyes of whoever holds him." Narrowing her eyes, she sighed, bringing a small flame to her finger as she contemplated burning down the village she had called home for so many years…

"Actually the compound for it matches exactly the same as the new development they made back in the Second Great Ninja War… for stakeout and mass elimination purposes to get rid of enemy villages to cut off supply points and lower morale. But, it seems to be toned down. I cannot quite place it, but, it seems like if they wanted to kill you, they would have done it already."

"In other words, they're playing with me."

"Yes, if you put it that way. But there is a catch." She resisted the urge, once again coming strong, to blow the hospital away with a well-placed Shinra Tensei courtesy of her Rinnegan.

"With the way the chakra water purification plants in the city run, they would have to refill it every night if they wanted a poison this weak to do any real damage. But for some reason, Danzo doesn't pine me as someone who has an agenda out for you two. By all means, he would want you alive as part of the village's power, especially when it concerns two major figures; One is a part of this village's history, and the other as the only Jinchuuriki. He would do well to allow you to nurture him into, per say, this village's weapon. But what person I think who would do it? I couldn't guess. But, make sure that you lay low, and bait him out into doing what he was doing.

"So you say we should bait him out?"

"Precisely. Give him the advantage, and let his guard fall. Then we'll strike. I'll have Shikaku Nara and a few Anbu look into helping you apprehend the offender."

"I appreciate it." Settling down into the hospital bed, gave a sigh as she stretched her aching muscles, all the while not noticing the fact that a certain boy who had been _asleep_ , was very much awake, three tomoe spinning wildly within hardened scarlet eyes.

* * *

 **Uh oh. Aww shit. Looks like some stuff is going down. I'm pretty sure we can guess who may or may not have done it, after all- looks, and actions, can be deceiving. We learned that first and foremost at the beginning of this chapter. Well, I am gonna continue on writing more chapters until I get utterly bored or completely go insane- I guess either one will count down the clock since I finally have free days to write and write and write and** _ **write**_ **. So, I plan to do just that.**

 **Also, I'd like to apologize for kind of throwing this at you all, the events and stuff going on right now. I figured that, all things come suddenly, and you cannot predict how your life will go before you live it. That's the motto I hear myself carrying for this story. I plan on catching all of you off guard with each chapter, hopefully to bring something new to the table. My reasons? I want the story, especially the** _ **title**_ **, to be emphasized. I hope you all know where I'm coming from. If not, and you're just reading this to spite me in the end? Power to you. I can't stop you from piecing your mind about my story, but, it is still** _ **my**_ **story… hehe…**

 **Well, until the next chapter where we will meet again, Ja ne!**


	3. Good Intents Do Not Make The Shinobi

**Let's just get right into this next one...**

"Normal Speaking/Story Dialogue" – In Regular Print

" _Thoughts, Emphasis, Shouting" –_ In _Italics_

 **"** **Kyuubi/Tailed Beast/Distorted Chatter"** **In** **Bold**

 **"** _ **Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/Kyuubi Thought (In same section of dialogue)/Jutsu"**_ **In** _ **Bold Italics**_

 _ **Disclaimer- No… I unfortunately don't own Naruto. If I did, the world would be made of chocolate.**_

* * *

 _ **Madara Uchiha Residence- August**_

 _Waiting for your signal, this is Inu._ Pulling handsigns through the dark, he communicated with a nearby operative, waiting for the signal as a silver haired man near impossibly so, gently landed in the Uchiha courtyard without a word. Bangs straight and a stricken smile upon his face, he searched his pouch for a vial, and with it in his hand, he smiled as he read the label. He grinned as he placed it between his thighs, completely absorbed in trying to open the cork, only to find it wouldn't budge. He was about to curse when he'd seen that the damn thing had been glued shut. _Not now! Not now, when I'm so close to my goal!_

Angered, he placed a kunai into the lip, hoping to nudge it out, silently cursing the entire time, unknowingly being watched.

"Damn thing… I was about to give hell to that demon brat and that _bitch_ he calls a _grandmother…_ " That was all they needed to pounce on the unsuspecting man. Though, sensing danger, he threw a smoke bomb, clouding the entire area in hopes of leaving, only for a gauntleted fist to send him careening back into the dirt, a tanto firmly pressed against his neck as a pair of glowing Sharingan stared into his eyes, going as far as to say they were staring into the man's soul. Soon enough the smoke cleared, and the wide-eyed would-be assassin held it back from removing his head from his shoulders- not that he could actually do so if the user intended.

"I caught you, little mouse. So… what game shall we play first, hm?" He panicked, reaching for his kunai and attempted to pierce her, only to find that arm missing when he needed it the most. He wouldn't scream… he couldn't. _I will not submit to the likes of her, and that cursed brat!_

"Oh, but you will, in time." Placing a flame into the palm of her hand, she ruthlessly cauterized the wound, leaving him screaming for help- but he knew that, in all hindsight, he would not receive any here. _To think that Orochimaru wanted_ _her_ _eyes when there was a brat right in front of her! Kuso!_

"I see. Thanks for the information, Mizuki. This elixir on my blade here really helps me get information… seems to make people blab up a storm. Now that we know you're working with _him_ , we don't have any torture restraints at all!" His eyes widened in horror as he taken in the direction of the T&I, where he would most certainly meet an untimely fate. But that was the least of his worries as a needle containing a sedative made its way into the back of his neck, near his carotid exterior…

The takedown of the offender along with the scuffle had proven too quiet to get past the privacy seal set on Naruto's bedroom… where he lay in a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato Academy – August 30th**_

Naruto was genuinely excited. Not only did the culprit get caught, but… his baa-chan was okay! After a blood transfusion- in which he had no idea what that was, and he despised his limited vocabulary- and as well as a mystic palm treatment courtesy of Tsunade and her own Yin seal, she had proven healthy enough to live on for quite a bit longer. It was truly amazing, he mused. _To think that medicine, or that one woman could cut_ _years_ _of age off someone's life by simple healing methods. And let's not forget she totally kicked his butt!_

But, there was one more thing, that he had to be excited about. _Today is the day I enter the academy._ He gulped- he'd been practicing quite a bit, or rather, taking tips from the times his mother handed his butt to him on a silver platter when he had begged her to continue on teaching him forms and counters using her trademark variation of the Uchiha Interceptor Fist. He scratched the top of his head, however, and allowed himself to mull on the fact that his hair was growing ridiculously long since he'd last cut it. _I swear this thing comes back like grass. Maybe I should just keep it grown out?_ He didn't quite imagine his grandmother would mind about the length of his hair… more about his skill in battle nonetheless. Still, it didn't hurt to think about it every once in a while.

"Nervous, Naru-kun?" He nodded, taking smaller and smaller steps as he approached the building from down the road, staring at the amassing crowd of people, mostly parents and their children, as they headed them off to the new school year.

"Yeah…"

"Don't be. You are far stronger than anyone in your grade. In fact, anyone left in the academy, I doubt, has a chance at matching you." Yeah… that was comforting. It was always the strength game with her- she liked to be competitive, and what better way than to measure the progress of your own child? _Crazy antics… I tell you…_

"That's not what I'm nervous about. I just… I've never been around this many people before." Pushing him from behind, she walked forward, tugging him along as she made way for the gates that would be closing shortly.

"Well, it's time for you to make some friends. Weak or not, you need to socialize with people other than Satsuki." He groaned, dragging his heels as he made his own way to the schoolgrounds, completely, and utterly bored out of his mind. _I'm not really gonna learn anything here… and I think she knows that._

"Come on, slow poke! You don't want to be late for class on the first day, do you?" He groaned again- he was beginning to sound more and more like a rather familiar lineage of the Nara family…

"Obaa-chan, we're literally right here." It didn't stop her from pecking him on the forehead before going, leaving him with a rather big dilemma. _What the hell am I supposed to do?_

Out of nothing but guesswork, he dashed into the crowd, hoping to, and succeeding in, pushing past the many cliques and groups formed in circles around the entrance to the academy. He couldn't breathe with all the dust that was being kicked up by the local populace, and coughed as a small piece came in contact with the back of his throat. Catching his breath, he stumbled out of the crowd near the front of the entrance, bringing himself hear a small wooden swing where he could see a rather lonely boy sitting by himself, the rest of the populace uncaring of his wellbeing. Looking around, he sighed. Not a person in sight. The only thing that caught his attention about the boy, is the way he sat, staring into the sky as if not a soul was near. The one thing that caught his eye, however, were the green, slitted eyes that the boy possessed, accompanied by what looked to be like a tattoo upon his neck. It glowed for a second, and he immediately recognized it as a seal, and from experience, a dangerous aspect to meddle in too deep.

"What are you doing here… all alone?" He looked up, cursing his luck as he sat himself down onto the wooden swing, a small frown settled onto his face. _That sad face… it doesn't suit him at all, despite his looks._

His pale skin and long, dark hair meddled with the fact that he smelled of snakes, something happened to him involving Orochimaru, that much was certain. And after anything like that, someone would need a friend.

"Don't mind me… I'm used to it. Being alone, I mean. Nobody wants to train with me, let alone be near me. They think that I'm dangerous…" He hissed out the last pat, because, he would assume, it would have something to do with the seal that was attached to the topside of his collarbone. Three tomoe- similar to a Sharingan, he mused. The matrix was simple on the outside, but Naruto could guarantee that it would be hell to break regardless.

"Why would they think you were dangerous?"

"Because I'm related to _him_." It wasn't hard to piece it together. Related? Cursed Seal? He would take a wild guess and call him his son. _Who would do that to their own kid, though? Even monsters, from what I've seen, feel emotion._

"What's your name?"

"Tatsuo… my name is Tatsuo." Extending a hand, despite the shocked glances from parents and children alike, he smiled brightly, unwavering.

"I'm Naruto. Naruto Senju-Uchiha-Uzumaki, by technicality. But, I everyone refers to me as Naruto Uchiha. It's nice to meet you." The other boy had trouble grasping what was happening, and simply nodded silently as he snaked out his hand to meet Naruto's own. The doors to the academy slammed open, and with a whistle of the bell, an average height brown haired man, handsome, yet marred by the scar across his nose appeared before them.

"All first-year students are to follow me to the front office, where you will each receive a name tag and an identification number identifying what classroom you are to go to. Hurry on up!" A little less than a third including Tatsuo and Naruto followed behind, walking into the air-conditioned building with a little less humor than one might expect from a group of five and six-year-olds. It hadn't taken long for the two to get to the front of the line- and the odds? They'd both scored the same classroom.

"Class 2-A…" Naruto murmured, looking across the hall where he'd seen the guide walk into. It seems he got the luck of the draw, if that was to count for anything. Walking away from the crowd with his newest friend in tow, he walked down a hallway until he'd reached his definition, and clicked open the door with a startling surprise.

"Satsuki?!" He pointed directly at her, eye twitching as her ever present smirk grew wider and wider.

"Naruto? I'm glad. I get to beat you up in _and_ out of the classroom!" He deadpanned very clearly, his finger wavering as she patted the seat in the middle of their row motioning to him, well, him _and_ Tatsuo apparently. So, gliding past the other students, he took his seat in between his probably _only_ two friends so far, Satsuki and Tatsuo. So, without further adeu, it hadn't taken long for her to _prank_ him, or rather, distract him so she could make him fall out of his chair, onto his butt. The whole class took time to laugh with the up and coming prankster. One thing he knew for sure, it was going to be a _long_ six years with this insufferable girl.

Before any more pranks could ensue, the teacher cleared his throat, catching the attention of all but a select few students in his gaze. With a near popping vein, he shouted at the three sleeping kids in the two back rows, all apparently narcoleptic before the year even began. And they were _clan heirs_ , too! You would think that they would pay attention… _Eh, who am I kidding? I already know the stuff we're about to learn anyways!_

"Anyways, my name is Iruka Umino. I will be your instructor for the years to come, as per my duty as a teacher. Due to a certain, _incident_ , your previous ninjutsu specialist was replaced by… oh dear…" Party poppers and confetti rained down from the ceiling, and two kunai embedded themselves into the wall, holding up a cloth banner. And in entered, a _scandalously_ dressed kunoichi, who, by the sign, was none other than Anko Mitarashi.

"You're welcome, brats! I am the one, the only, sexy ninja mistress Anko Mitarashi! Try to survive this course, okay?" Okay, instead of Satsuki, he found himself downright annoyed- slamming his head onto his desk for extra emphasis. _Of all the people in the world, it had to be her?!_ She, unfortunately, had been a close friend of his mother's, so when she saw him, she went for the kill. Numbly dodging a dango stick that had embedded itself into the wall (much to the terrified looks of a majority of the class), he groaned. _When did life decide to kick me in the nards?_

Looking up from a tap on his shoulder, he saw Tatsuo staring intently at him, a questioning gaze if anything, and he mouthed his response back to him. _You don't want to know._

He definitely got the message across to the other boy, because a firm nod had come his way as he continued on to pay rapt attention to the upcoming lecture as Anko, who had been silent since then, took a seat behind her desk opposite of Iruka's. Yep, he assumed correctly. Thus, began the six years of _hell_.

It had taken from seven in the morning to nearly noon for their history and common trajectory course- which would be followed by an example in the taijutsu sparring pit with practice throwing for kunai and shuriken.

Taking advice from Satsuki and Tatsuo- they stayed near, but not at the back- mostly to avoid any type of exercise for the day. Class was, after all, invented as nap time for the people who were ahead. Though, it wasn't in their favor, as they ended up at the _front_ of the pack, awkwardly staring and standing on the inner circle's ring.

Iruka, by a stroke of luck, picked him for the taijutsu, or basic sparring sequence that was sure to take place. Now, he was annoyed. _I feel like I'm being cherry-picked by Kami somewhere… where he or she would be laughing on their throne above us. Ugh._

He supposed, however, he'd make the most of it. Iruka was a well-respected Chuunin, after all. It would be good to see, since he was very young, where his skills lied. He wouldn't lie to himself and try to say he wasn't excited. The thought of sparring and having fun made his blood boil in temperament to his prowess. Though he could always ask his grandmother to take him down a peg, he supposed. _Beating some of the kids like loose ragdolls wouldn't be much fun either._

Stepping into the ring with his shoulders slumped, he lazily looked at Iruka with his arms limply hanging at his side, eyes lazily tracking the stance he took. _Basic Academy Style. Well rounded, but with many flaws. Leaves the flanks too exposed to counter-attacks in a fight between ninjas, but counters that with strengthening of the body to help deflect damage in tai on tai confrontations._ Tracking his every move, he yawned, taking a second to close his eyes and readjust to the sunlight _. Wouldn't do me well if I got creamed on the first day._

Iruka looked puzzled- why wasn't the student taking a stance or at least copying his own? _Surely someone like Naruto would know at least basic taijutsu. He's baiting me…_

"Are you ready, Naruto?" Nodding, he was surprised when he instantly switched stances, going for a rather daring, and much more _aggressive_ style of fighting, the _Strong Fist_. He feinted first, spinning for a heel kick that would have surely connected to any normal person's jaw. Luckily for Naruto, his grandmother was _especially_ hard about his taijutsu. Nothing less than perfect would do.

Spinning as he ducked under his foot, he sent out a chakra enhanced blow that threatened to break his ankle- he had been prepared, and softened the blow by continuing on a pivot, putting himself into a crouch stance as he aimed for the center of his chest. Naruto mulled on trapping his arm and flipping him- but that too had been anticipated, thus he had struck lower than normal.

Without a second to spare, he used his left hand to slap away the hit, crashing his fist against the man's rib cage, pleased when a resounding smack, a testament to how hard the blow hit, when it launched him away to allow him breathing room. Iruka had figured that he would recover his stamina- but then again, who ever said Naruto was normal?

In a show of acrobatics and flexibility, he purposefully took the bait of the feint, allowing the retreating fist to let him launch above the next, and landed a spinning axe kick that all but crushed his foot against his shoulder and landed forward on his hands, leaning under a high kick as he tensed every muscle possible in his arms. Springing up through the use of more chakra than necessary, his feet shot forward similar to a missile, catching the final blow that sent the young Chuunin to the edge of the ring, and allowing him to land on his feet. He smiled a bit inside- all of the butt kickings that he'd received were starting to pay off. But surely, he mused, that the Chuunin was still ready to go.

He'd underestimated the speed of the next attack, a forward fist he miscalculated as a feint crashed against his ribcage, yet, his hand had somehow miraculously softened most of the blow, which allowed him to launch him into the air with another kick- enhanced by much more chakra than the rest of his blows. Once he'd reached a suitable height, he shot under and over him, chaining the blow into a falling heel kick, sending his body into the dirt with an audible thud.

Iruka, when he'd gotten up, sported plenty of bruises to show for it- the most prominent being a large, purplish mass on the underside of his jaw.

"Well, there goes the teaching lesson. Can anybody point out what I was doing wrong?" Even in the heat of battle, and when a loss stung, he still knew to call out his own mistakes. _This guy can take a hit though… for sure. I used the same amount of force that dropped Itachi._

When nobody else raised their hand, it was up to Anko, their pseudo torturer/teacher for the rest of the year to come up with an answer.

"While you did take the fight in with caution, you lacked control over the opponent, and played right into Naruto's hand. By using a feint, the same one might I add, he was able to predict and outmaneuver you when you had a chance to land a hit. Had you stayed unpredictable instead of falling into pattern, you would have very easily, in my opinion, fared better in that little battle. That and the fact that you didn't take him as serious as you would an enemy shinobi, is even worse. You could have very well have used chakra in that blow to his solar plexus. Had you not premeditated it, you would have gotten the drop on him in all things considered since he wasn't even using his Sharingan. All in all, piss poor performance by your teacher. As someone who takes pride in their taijutsu despite being a Chuunin, I expected more from you." Naruto clenched his jaw, fighting off his inherent laziness as she gently moved the other instructor aside to enter the ring herself. It was clear that she was wearing the pants as the superior instructor. _This will be a lot different from Iruka. She's a Jounin- an expert combatant. If I stand somewhat of a chance, I'll need to avoid making those mistakes she laid out, and I'll have to use my Sharingan._

She was cocky entering the ring- for a good reason. He was weaker than her, that was a given considering her fighting style and the clear outlining of muscle beneath the hem of her shirt. Sex appeal wasn't even close to being her talent, though he would rarely admit, and in this case, she did have it down to a fine art.

Though when it came down to it, that smile dropped as she assessed him. Naruto wouldn't take his stance yet- that would give away most of his fighting style in an instant. He needed to ready himself at the make it or break it moment- between attacks. _Though that only works when the opponent is weaker than you._

Activating his Sharingan, Satsuki was found in high surprise to see that it had been fully matured- the triple tomoe spinning into action as Naruto analyzed his opponent.

He immediately ducked away as a rather explosive- borderline spontaneous fist sailed above his head, yet disallowed him from using his forearms to block the incoming knee that literally crashed against his guard. Thinking on the fly, he lifted his right leg and captured the offending appendage, using his right leg to push the off-balance kunoichi to the ground. Though he didn't expect her to lash out with her other foot as accurately as she did- she was quite nimble and flexible. Instead of ducking or attempting to dodge, he moved inside her guard, taking with him her other leg, twisting the two around his own in hopes of subduing her quickly- he wouldn't win in an all-out slug exchange. He was minutely surprised. It actually worked. Well enough to get his muscles screaming in protest to hold the woman in his grip.

Instead of submitting like he expected, she used her larger body mass to flip him to the ground that would have forced him into an arm bar- if he hadn't landed a hit to the underside of her thigh. Letting go to avoid taking damage, they leaped back from each other- giving them both room to get air into their burning lungs. _I spent too much energy trying to hold that grapple. I need to dodge the next attack to recover._

Though, sadly, her next attack had been a feint, allowing her to twist her body in a fashion that allowed her roundhouse kick to connect with his cheek, sending him to the dirt. Bouncing along the ground he pushed up from his position and leaped to the right, catching his foot into the ground and correcting his balance faster than she could recover. He poured as much chakra as was safe into his fist, sending it straight into her flank, sending her to the ground with a blow of his own, leaving her to hold her side in a hiss of pain. _Wait, I actually dealt a solid hit?_

He was confused. Thoroughly confused. He should be getting his butt whooped by the lady, not a tradeoff. _Maybe I'm stronger than I thought?_

He took the next chance to bend backwards to dodge another overhead fist, carrying on into another kick that should have connected cleanly with her chin, yet was caught between her hands, finally allowing her to take both of his legs into position, making room for her flexibility to allow her to rest her foot into his back. The fight was over, and he'd spent far more energy in it than he'd hoped.

"You fucked up, brat. As you did to me, I will do it to you. _Always_ capitalize on your opponent's mistake to hit the next blow, otherwise your counter is meaningless since you will be taking damage in these scenarios- _especially_ when it is a Jounin against another Jounin type of battle. Taijutsu, in my opinion, is more important than your grappling skills, kid. Imagine if you run into someone like Might Guy, who can maneuver around your grasp and hit you with a blow that you can't react to, then what? However, I will cut you some slack. You fought correctly and you did not allow me time to breathe, and capitalized on it when needed. The fact that you predetermined that you would need to use my strength against me and force a grapple was incredibly intelligent, and there were quite a few times where, had you gotten ahold of a kunai, you would have very easily killed me there. But remember, Taijutsu, especially in your case, is not your only option. Open your style up, similar to your grandmother, so that it allows more fluid movement to strike your opponent, similar to my own Hebi style. Your Interceptor Fist, even if it is modified a bit, as I could see a more aggressively oriented defense, is not impenetrable. I want all of you that are Uchiha to keep this in mind for when you actually experience _real_ combat. One trick wonders will not help you in the slightest. You need to adapt to your opponent, similar to this young man, and act accordingly. Just how there isn't room for mistakes, there is no room for second guesses. You need to hone both your mind and body to work in synch, so that way the move you make is the move you _want_ to make in your own, personalized scenario. Illusions and trickery will only get you so far. Skill will take over more often than not. All of you, start practicing and pick partners, _now_. As for you, Uchiha, a word." Loosening her grip, he expectantly followed her, bored out of his mind now that the fight had spectacularly backfired in her favor. He landed a _single_ _hit_ before she subdued him in the exact way he had tried with her. In other words, she _toyed_ with him.

 _This day could not get any worse…_

"So, Naruto. Why were you pulling for grapples, and don't lie to me and say that it was part of your plan. I know better." _Ugh… but it_ _was_ _a part of my plan._

"I get it, I get it. I fucked up. I didn't go in with the intent to kill like I should have, and I wasn't playing true to my fighting style at all. But against you it-"

"Was irrational and stupid. If it were a _real_ battle, I would have killed you within the first thirty seconds with my snakes. So I'll ask again, are you even trying?" He shrugged, not a care in the world. _This is the academy. Do I have to be serious all the time?_

"Anko-sensei, this is the academy, and it's a joke from what I've heard. The only observation and planning skills you pick up are during flower and herb picking, and the King of the Sandpit. Are you kidding me?" Aggravated, she slammed her fist on top of his head, silently fuming.

"Fight me again. This time, with the intent to _kill_ , please. I'd rather not lay waste to a hypothetical prodigy because they can't get their shit together. Now, begin!" Instead of ducking under the typical haymaker he swerved his head to the right, slamming his fist into the bottom of her elbow with a blow that was _far less_ friendly. It forced her to back up to lunge in again, feinting an elbow to twist into an overhead kick.

Slapping it away, he jumped into the air, twisting into a spin kick that landed into her palm, allowing her to toss him to the side. As soon as he landed he backflipped over her leg, angled to trip him and simply slammed his feet into her leg, following straight after with a strong forward fist that sent her a few feet away from him. She recovered, however, and took advantage of his slower speed, hitting away his fist with the back of her hand and catching his jaw with an uppercut kick, leading into a spin kick as she jumped- one that he had fortunately blocked in success, but not without a bruise forming where the hit had landed. He knew she wouldn't let up, so he channeled more chakra into the palm of his hand, striking along her over-extended fist, successfully grabbing a surprised 'oof' as he spun into a heel kick that impacted with her ribcage. It wouldn't be nearly enough, he figured out, as she caught his blow and threw him to the ground, sending him spinning into the wall. He recovered quickly, sidestepping her blow with a closed-fisted strike, following up with a knee to her chin, lifting her into the air enough to allow him to slam his leg into the side of her face to launch her away. Though, despite the fact that it was going to look black and blue next morning, she grinned, giving him a thumbs up despite the fact that their bout had given her enough information to keep her going.

"Well, since you're only six, I would imagine the fact that you're hitting me like this is impressive, now that you have seen reason. You hit four times the number of blows in that bout than you did in the last ten minutes that we were over there wrestling. See what I mean?" With a withdrawn sigh, he caught his breath, slightly winded by the pace that he had been fighting at. He'd just fought the same Jounin twice and took on a Chuunin instructor. So, yes, he was tired.

"I get it. Use my striking methods to deal more damage and blah blah blah… can I just go sit down and be lazy now?" She waved him off, grinning with yet another dango stick stuck inside of her mouth. Did she live off dango?

"Yes, but one more thing. You need to grow more, especially physically if you want to truly use that style. If you don't hit hard enough, you'll be the one getting overwhelmed. So far, against a battle-tested Jounin, you can only land bruises at best when they're holding back. I want to see broken bones by the time you graduate, got it?" Meanwhile he was the one who was afraid he might have cracked a rib… man he had a _long_ way to go. He couldn't imagine what it would be like fighting his grandmother in her prime… _I don't even want to think about that. I'll burn that bridge when I cross it._

"Yeah, yeah… crazy snake lady." He failed to shove her off of him as she buried her fist into his hair- determined to put an indent into his head before the day was over. Relinquishing him from her hold, she sauntered off, clearly ready for more. Him? He just wanted to enjoy his day… but all he could feel was pain.

"See ya, gaki! Now who's ready for some instruction!" He shivered at the thought. _If she was holding back, I need to get stronger quickly… maybe fuinjutsu will be of some help._ He knew what he'd have to do… and that meant even _more_ restless nights without sleep. From experience, the beginner stages of fuinjutsu, while easy, were proving to be a pain in the butt.

The rest of his time spent in the taijutsu sparring course had gone by, watching the clouds with an acquired acquaintance, Shikamaru Nara. He'd done enough already, and he was just not feeling up to more and more bruises before people started flinging shuriken and kunai.

Speaking of which, the bell sounded, forcing them to clear out and come back into the group, all for a small instruction on how to properly throw their kunai shuriken by one slightly injured Iruka Umino, and a beaming Anko (If you ignore the bruise on her face). Surprisingly, they didn't call him up to throw right away, no, he just passed through his turn like every other normal student, except with actual accuracy in comparison to most of the students gathered.

It was over with as soon as it started. Nobody was really in immediate danger of failing that part of the course, so to speak, and they moved on once the bell rang. Like clockwork, the next five and a half weeks of his life would continue like that. _Academy, training with obaa-chan… then fuinjutsu._

In a few days of full focus on fuinjutsu, Naruto found it rather easy to make his own gravity seals- at the cost of an arm and a leg's worth of paper and ink, much to Madara's chagrin. Though she didn't mind, as long as it went to improving something, it was supplies well spent...

Even so, there would still be visits to the T&I to visit his newest sparring partner, Anko, whenever she had a free moment. They both knew that he could improve with her, but he'd rather have chosen to see where he stacks up rather than fight against someone who was several times weaker than his actual teacher... _from hell_ he would have thought- had it been true. It was quite surprising to think about the events that had spiraled out of control in the past few months… and it was even more so at the random order that they'd come in, from the poison drama to finding a new training buddy, life was going to continue to change for our resident Naruto Uchiha. And things were about to get even more interesting than before.

* * *

 **Uhhh yeah… so I gotta work on another chapter once I wake up… I've been working on these last two for about 30 straight hours… soooo… there may or may not be quite a few mistakes here and there. But, if you enjoyed, leave a thought on what pairing should be done next in my little series of oneshots, and I will oblige. Until then, I will cya all later. Peace!**


	4. Visits Around The Village

**Already at chapter four? Holy schnikes, we are going fast! I don't know about you guys, but caffeine seems to be my best friend at this very moment…**

 **A little thing that might get mentioned in the future, I'd much rather address the problem directly, head on with you guys. Yes, if he can, at most levels, take on Chuunin and win or survive, shouldn't he be past the staged of the academy already? Yes and no. His skills, at this point, are a little bit too much to grasp, especially for Chuunin like Iruka, who, despite their best intentions, are on the weaker end of the spectrum. So it is natural that, with talent, to boot, he should be able to take on a Chuunin who more or less has not seriously trained to get stronger since he started at the academy. At least, that was my take on it. And the whole, "he isn't fighting to kill" thing that happened, I will say this, before you read it, Iruka is too softhearted as a ninja, and that reason of complacent feelings would have gotten him killed earlier than now…**

 **Insanemaelstorm – Thanks for the constructive criticism! To be honest, I was tired as all hell when I wrote that, so I will try to fix what I can before reuploading whatever is there to improve it. I also felt though, that the speech patterns were a little bit OOC for Anko, but I purposefully made Iruka a little bit more OOC than normal. For one, he is a Chuunin. He should at least be able to understand common battle tactic, and as far as the fight scene goes, I'll switch around some stuff to make it more understandable for the general audience in a bit. But, besides that, thanks for taking your time to review on my blunders- that just means I'll have to try and avoid thinking faster than I can type, hehe!**

 **Anyways, let's get on with the show! Enough of that!**

"Normal Speaking/Story Dialogue" – In Regular Print

" _Thoughts, Emphasis, Shouting" –_ In _Italics_

 **"** **Kyuubi/Tailed Beast/Distorted Chatter"** **In** **Bold**

 **"** _ **Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/Kyuubi Thought (In same section of dialogue)/Jutsu"**_ **In** _ **Bold Italics**_

 _ **Disclaimer- I kind of wish I owned Naruto, but then I realized that the original story is pretty bad… now I don't feel all that bad anymore :D**_

* * *

 _ **Uchiha District Training Grounds – October 9**_ _ **th**_

"Naruto-kun? Where are you?" The sounds of feet impacting the multitudinous auburn colored leaves along the ground came closer and closer to the sleeping boy. A sweet voice, reminiscent of age… yet still strong in its youth awoke the young boy form his slumber. With a gentle smile, she sat next to him, where she was sure he'd passed out during his physical training- he hadn't been getting all but five hours of sleep during the night. _For a young boy, he has a lot on his shoulders, and he doesn't even know._

"Are you alright, Naru-kun?" Yawning, he nodded rubbing his sore back from previous exercises, but most of all from their previous spars. _If she keeps pushing me harder and harder, I might start incorporating more sleep into my schedule… otherwise I won't grow regularly._

Sighing, she scooped him up into her arms, nuzzling her chin into the top of his forehead with motherly affection… something that she was blessed with the ability to do so. She could remember when she had discovered their plan, the wailing when his parents died that night. The flames, the smoke… as if the entire leaf village was forged in hellfire. And then he started to grow… almost like a beacon for others, many of the children idolized his strength at his age, along with his hard work and constant good-natured way of speaking, friend and the like. Looking down, she noticed bags under his eyes- almost as if he hadn't slept in a few days, she imagined that the thought was correct, all things considered.

"Naru-kun… even at your age, you are much stronger than I was, despite the fact I lived in a harder time and era. You work yourself to the bone day in, day out, trying to get stronger. Even chakra control, you never stopped trying until you got water walking down." He beamed at her praise, a soft smile as he cuddled into her arms, eyes drooping as he got into a comfortable position, his head using her bosom as if it were his pillow, yet safer…

"Of course, I guess you get some of your habits from me, and that's fine. Now, here is another lesson that will help benefit you in the future."

"What is that, baa… chan…" Naruto murmured, lazily drawling as his half lidded eyes shined against the contrast of his normally bright, but presently tiresome expression.

"Well, little Naru-kun… you should be able to figure out after staying awake for so many nights, that it's natural your body feels like it is breaking down, without a steady cycle of sleep. So take training from now on with a grain of salt- consecutive training without rest is not nearly as effective as training with small breaks in between to allow your muscles to relax and for your body to repair. That also goes with stunts like these, the best thing to do is get in a bit of hot water and take care of your body- including your skin. You don't have a speck of it, but I would rather you not have to deal with acne in the future, little Naru-kun." He blushed a bit, embarrassed that the 'big A' was dropped already. He knew what bad hygiene did to people- rotten teeth and scarred up skin… it terrified him enough into picking up as many healthy habits as possible, but when it came to the rest of his body, however… _She's like… reading my mind…_

"I'd also like you to live a little bit… hang out with your friends, and try to make new ones in the upcoming week. It is, after all, your birthday tomorrow, along with the Kyuubi's Fall Festival tomorrow in the center square, in the marketplace just past the Hokage building." Sighing, he buried his face into her shirt, a wide smile threatening to split his face in half, and was lulled into sleep by his baa-chan. He'd only, just barely, got to his final physical exercise, consisting of a series of thirty-two laps around the small lake- each lap was about a fourth of the running distance for a lap around the entire village of Konoha. So, in the middle of his sixth lap he had promptly tripped over his own feet, fell, and passed out from exhaustion. He'd been making tweaks to his newest gravity seal- an improvement over his current set, which the maximum density-to-bodyweight ratio went from triple his weight to a ratio that would instead make him nearly seven and a half times heavier instead. It was a small bit of progress- they were easy to create, since the change was mostly physical rather than a direct correlation of chakra, except for the amount put into it as it is placed onto his skin. By that logic, it was controllable, but not overly outrageous. _And I still haven't… gotten that other one done yet…_

His mind was slowing and sleep was impeccable, an unstoppable force that made him pass out until the morning after.

* * *

 _ **Madara Uchiha Residence – October 10th**_

His mind was slowing and sleep was impeccable, an unstoppable force that made him pass out until the morning after. He didn't realize how tired he actually was, but when he noticed that his alarm clock read 6:45 A.M…. he knew that he'd missed a day. Naruto rolled his shoulder, popping a few joints that had stiffened from the cold air flowing into his bedroom. _I need to start closing that window…_

Softly, he pushed himself off of his bed, slipping out of his night wear with an indifferent shrug, nearly tempted to climb back into his bed. _But… it's my birthday..._

He _was_ excited… but it was also a painful day to look back on. The parents he never knew died that day, giving birth to him and eventually, sealing the tailed beast into his stomach. He thought back on it, mulling back and forth, letting the proverbial ball rumble around in his head as he tossed on another one of his mesh shirts- his supply was getting low because of the recent intensity in his training. _If I'm gonna start using kunai and stuff, I'm gonna have to stop wearing these._ His baa-chan never failed to remind him of how expensive the high-quality mesh was at the moment, especially for a kid his size, since he was, for the most part, taller _and_ heavier than most of his classmates, save for Chouji, who was… well… Chouji. And then there was Tatsuo, who was almost strangely tall for their age. He assumed that he must have gotten his genes from Orochimaru, who, was quite tall himself.

As much as he tried, and _failed_ to distract himself from it, he just accepted it. There was no use letting it ruin his special day, after all. So, without a second thought, he tossed away the fishnet mesh shirt that he'd _planned_ on wearing, instead going for a traditional black longsleeve. He'd slapped a pair of tight fitting combat pants that his mother bought him and fixed his tape around his right thigh, mirroring his action opposite of that to his left ankle and slipped into pair of sandals at his bedside.

He sighed, walking out into the hallway, into an adjacent bathroom and stared into the mirror. He checked his face- no sign of any blemishes or scarring… just healthy, borderline peach colored skin all around. He wasn't quite tanned, but he was a bit darker than most of his clanmates in skin color. Most of them, including his mother, were quite fair-skinned, yet not quite pale.

He was staring so close, observing everything from his eyes to the bottom of his chin, that he jumped out of his skin when, he could've sworn he saw it, a spitting image of the fox fitted to his face. He hit the back of his head against the wall, moaning in pain as he tried to stand up. Once his vision cleared, he looked back into the mirror- and not a trace of it remained. _I swear I just saw the Kyuubi, all on… my face…_

He shook his head, walking into the kitchen to see his grandmother pouring a glass of water. _I'm probably going bananas. No way that the seal is loose or something like that. That would be nuts._

"Good morning, my little Naru-kun! How is the birthday boy today?" He smiled as she kneeled before him, taking his face into her hands and placing a chaste kiss on his forehead for good measure. _Looks like baa-chan is excited for today._

"I'm great, though, I am a little tired…" He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping the kinks there would work themselves out on their own as he sat at the table. He hadn't noticed the fact that the oven was on- it smelled like… _blueberries?_

He took no small pleasure in devouring the pancakes that had come into his famished vision, tearing them apart, piece by piece, with or without syrup until the smell had faded and he felt his stomach groan in contempt. Yes, his hunger, in a matter of minutes, and much to his baa-chan's mix of horror and surprise, was sated. She heartily laughed as he attempted to clean the crumbs that had been spewed everywhere from his messy eating, struggling to catch her breath as she reached for a dishtowel.

"Well, I guess you were surely hungry, huh? My little Naru-kun." He blushed… hiding his face beneath the collar of his shirt, pouting beneath its dark surface in response.

"Y-Yeah… hah-" He began wheezing as she tickled him with no mercy, his face popping out of his shirt in a hilariously childish fashion, laughing loud enough, Madara was sure, to wake up the entire Uchiha District. It was beginning to get so bad that his vision was blurring, and bile threatened to come out of his throat, his pancakes were going to come back from whence they came, as they say.

Though she suddenly stopped, letting him slump out of his chair in a giggling mess- revenants of his baa-chan's tickling still tugging at his vocal cords.

"Anyways, I will be back in about an hour, okay? I need to go to one final checkup with Tsunade-chan to assure that I'm in good condition. That means you _will_ wait here until I get back, and don't scare the poor woman at the desk if you do come with, understood?" Nodding, didn't dare question her- Madara-baachan wouldn't do anything of the sort that would be classified as irrational... would she? _I coulda swore Tsunade-oneechan said that she was done with hospital stuff... unless something else is wrong?_

She waved at him, kissing his forehead as she left, stopping outside the door as she smiled back in his direction. _I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would I?_ Leaving her thoughts behind, she could be seen heading to one of the more famous weapon shops in town with a plastic bag filled with sealing scrolls in her hand…

* * *

 _ **Higurashi Family Forgery**_

Ringing the bell, Madara stepped into the dimly lit, shop, giving quite the surprise to the man behind the counter, who simply stroked his beard with a grin to his face. He was wearing a pair of dusty, old, beaten up overalls with a white short-sleeve- completely marred by burn marks and what looked like oil stains that covered him head to toe. He was probably wearing the same boots from years before- he never liked throwing out clothes with so much as a string of life left in them.

"Well then, Madara-chan, you're looking much younger than I'm used to seeing. You came by for your order, finally?" Chuckling a bit, she stepped up to the counter, laying out a variety of storage seals, covering the entire glass casing with nothing but arranged scrolls that had been taken out of a now disposed plastic bag.

"Well, considering the size of the order, I'm not surprised that it took this long for you to finish, Kurusu-kun." Laughing as loud as he wanted, boisterous chuckles and giggles filled the glass-paned weapon shop with a heartwarming aura. The two had been old friends for quite a while, now.

"I see. I'm going to need some help, and these old bones won' be able to carry what you ordered. Though I will say I am surprised with how well that ol' seal is working for ya, Madara-chan. Tsunade and Jiraiya did a incredible job getting you back in shape, chakra or no chakra."

"Yeah. I can't positively say I'm not still shocked about the results." Ducking under the counter and reaching into a hidden compartment, the padlock clicked with a small pulse of chakra, falling to the floor as he retrieved the first few items from below. Madara raised an eyebrow at the several swords that had come into view, the craftmanship was better than ever, she supposed. _The only problem is that there are twice as many as there should be._

"Excuse me, I think you got the wrong order. There's too many for this to be mine. I know for a fact of what I ordered. Two custom chakra katana, a chokuto, I think… a kusarigama, a tanto, and two ninjato. There's like, four of each here." Waving his hand, he retreated back into the storehouse behind him- carrying small crates of kunai that had been sitting in his shop for well over a month.

"I know. We, including my two sons, my daughter-in-law, and my grandkid, we decided to gift you wish some extras. They're all high quality. Since you ordered them last year, we spent seven' eight months on these things. We heard that little Naruto was gonna need some weapons, so we decided we're gone' lend a hand to the little guy. Kami knows he'll need it."

"I don't know if I can accept this… this is a bit much, isn't it?" Spitting into a nearby can. He smirked, his tobacco stained teeth seemingly glowed in the bar-like lighting of the forgery.

"Ain't no such thing as too much. We also threw in a few hundred more kunai that have been sitting in here for years, if you need some practice blades." She sighed. _Looks like he still has the same old crush, and that attitude, after all these years._

"I know why you're doing-" He raised a hand, taking another second to dribble a bit of spit into the same can from before.

"You think. I got over it a long time ago, Madara-chan. I'm just worried about my best friend's grandkid, and I'm happy about it. The squirt is gonna need all that he can get in the future. I reckon these spare blades will come in handy while he's learning to maintenance his works. Plus, young Tenten don't even like swords to begin with… she's a provin' to be more a staff kinda gal." He continued on hauling crates, whistling as he called his sons from down the hallway to halt the forgework.

"Oi, gimme a hand! These boxes aren't gonna move themselves, ya hear?!" The quieted sounds of pounding hammers and grinding came to a halt as two men, burly in their own right, yet straight- almost stone faced came from the doorway leading into the actual forge. Tipping their beaten caps with respect, they continued to help haul boxes back and forth- almost no chatter at all besides current works coming to mind.

"How's the squirt? Last I heard he beat up one of the instructors in a taijutsu spar." Inwardly, she cheered. _Damn straight he did!_

"Oh? I guess I'll talk with him about that when I get home." He held his hands up, feigning ignorance in avoidance to her false anger.

"Hey, you didn't hear it from me. Also, word is that he made friends with Orochi's kid and is sparring with Anko. If I don't know any better, that kid doesn't know the meaning of the word rest, does he?" Sighing, she silently agreed as she began sealing away the several crates of kunai, hurrying away as the last of the items, the blades, poofed out of existence as it became part of a long strip of chakra paper, not to be seen until later that night. _Little Naru-kun is making waves… everybody is talking around about Orochimaru's son and how he's made friends. Good for that poor child._

"Well, that's it. See you around, Madara-chan. Oh, and make sure _not_ to intimidate people around here! I get enough flak from the Hokage about recommissioning items as it is!" He smiled. _I never really get to be me at the desk except for times like these. Everybody around here would think I'm stupider'n all hell if they heard me speak my bit._

"Grampa! Grampa! Was that Madara-sama just now?!" Scooping up the intruding little girl, he set her onto the counter, tousling her hair back and forth in the palm of his hand. The seven-year-old Tenten would get excited about a nick in a blade if he gave her the chance.

"Yeah… it sure was. Lemme tell you about the days when this village first came 'round… it all started like this…"

* * *

 _ **Madara Uchiha Residence**_

"Hello? Naru-kun? Sweetie?" She was wary when she felt Orochimaru's presence among them, even for a slight second, shaking it off as young Tatsuo came into view at the back of their shared home. He was sitting at the bench, while their plastic fold-out table contained multiple kunai and shuriken- most dulled for personal use, but great for harmless practice for future Genin. They were silently chattering drinking, what smelled like, freshly brewed tea. She smiled, setting the scrolls just inside the place downstairs, she sent a few shadow clones to get things rolling. _That ought to be good enough for the surprise._

"Can you three also quickly clean the room of dust? I want to make sure these weapons are kept in a good temperature." They nodded, silently descending the flight of stairs into what used to be a personal meeting room- she had long since cleared the tables and chairs, finding more use for the in different parts of the home. Now, all that remained were display cases and a few weapon racks that she had bought ahead of time- in anticipation for his birthday surprise. _He's going to be so happy that we're starting kenjutsu training tomorrow!_

Though, she was slightly interested in why one of the wooden targets was shattered… burned… and smoking in the middle of their backyard… with a hole in the tree where it sat. _Oh dear… let's just hope he hasn't discovered anything_ _too_ _destructive…_

Spotting her, he waved, giving her the cue to walk in to meet his newest friend. Well, he was calmly drinking tea, and uncharacteristic of someone related to him he was quite nervous- enough that she could feel it from where she stood at the doorway. She approached the two, waving and smiling as best she could as to calm the boy's nerves. _I don't want to scare him off, now._

"Naru-kun. Mind explaining the hole in the tree and all the smoke?" She'd said it almost too sweetly, enough that it had scared the living hell out of the young boy, but was rebounded as excitement took over.

"Well, me and my friend Tatsuo discovered something awesome!" She deadpanned rather quickly. _Well, I tried…_

"And what is it that you discovered? Hopefully nothing dangerous that I should be worried about you burning down some buildings?" He froze, grin caught on his face as he twirled a kunai in his hand. _What is he- oh dear…. Oh dear…_

She couldn't even formulate a word when his arm was coated in, well, lightning- very clearly made out of chakra as it coated the small throwing knife in her son's hand. She very much resisted the urge to facepalm- it was a technique that she, herself, had not proven to be apt at using. Lightning chakra was very often used, in the same case as wind, to pierce and slash with chakra blades. _And he's using it to throw kunai? Who would've thought…_

"Well, if you cover it in lightning chakra it goes really fast, but that's not all! If you work it with little bit of earth chakra at the blade, it explodes- but keeps going… kinda like… a… I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand, Madara ignored it- for now. _A lecture on stunts like these should have been understood to happen. I thought I told him to take his experimenting to the damn training grounds!_

"Anyways, despite the fact that you are going to limit _all_ shinobi related activities to the training grounds unless I say otherwise, no. But you will be getting an earful from me about this kind of stuff. What if the kunai exploded before you threw it? You'd be missing a limb for the rest of your life. I don't care about what you want to experiment, only until you have _mastered_ the fifth step of chakra control."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes. So if you want to experiment, you will get your butt out there and practice until perfect. I better see you balancing kunai, _on their blade tips_ , while you are water-walking. And one more thing: _Make sure you put two on each finger._ If you can hold it for thirty minutes, then you can experiment as much as you want." He gulped. _There goes my big surprise…_

She waited a few moments until her clones dispersed- which meant that the room was dusted and set for him to collect his present. _He's lucky that this didn't backfire on him… I couldn't be growing soft on him, could I?_ Eh. I mean, it took her until she was thirteen to master the final stage of advanced chakra control, so it should stop him from prematurely ending his career… hopefully…

"On the other hand, I also heard that you fought Anko, and actually landed a hit despite the fact she was holding back. Well done. She is, after all, stronger than a majority of the Jounin in the village despite her antics. That and meeting her on the way, she mentioned your "habits." I will not tolerate you fighting _any_ opponent without serious thought. That habit, fighting to win as she said? It will get you killed quickly on the battlefield. _Never_ underestimate an opponent, _especially_ in a one on one scenario. Do I make myself clear, Naruto?" Nodding, he looked away in shame. He knew that he was messing up because he wanted to get lazy… but he kept forgetting that he can't afford to be lazy if it means he becomes weak. _I won't let her down again._ He looked up, clear cut determination shimmering behind his bright violet orbs, a true reflection of his mettle. _I_ _will_ _become strong, for baa-chan and everything she's done for me, believe it!_

"Understood, baa-chan."

"Good. Off of that sour note, I have a gift for you downstairs where the meeting room used to be. I think you will know where our training is going once you see." Tatsuo stood still, staring off at his scolded friend, simply watching him walk away- til Naruto turned with an estranged look on his face.

"Aren't you coming with?"

"B-But…"

"Come on!" Blushing, he followed after him, finding the ground rather interesting as he made way into the Uchiha's home. _O-Oh…_

They quickly entered the hallway, taking a sharp right turn into a doorway, leading into a staircase that trailed down into a rather dimly lit room. Across the walls, on a series of racks and crates, weapons as far as his eyes could see. He looked up to his precious baa-chan, almost disbelieving. _Is this what I think it is?_

"Baa-chan…"

"Happy Birthday, Naru-kun." She'd made the choice a few months ago to start a faster-paced course of training… and she'd made the right choice all things considered. She looked at the bounding boy, who was busy either hugging her or showing his friend around, discovering and maybe playing with the dangerous tools of war. Though as happy as he was… the information she had received from the Hokage… it was disturbing. _I knew about the Akatsuki… they're a recent group of S-Class missing-nin who go around hunting bounties… though it's their goal that worries me._

She hardened her gaze as she stared at her son. He was going to have to become stronger than he was already, that was for certain. How much, she didn't know. But she had heard that their leader was said to be almost as strong… if not _as strong_ as she was in her prime. _And the fact that they're hunting bijuu makes me worried for his generation. But if what they said was true… they shouldn't be moving for quite some time, at least until he's fifteen. But I can't take that chance. He needs to be prepared…_

"This also means, Naru-kun, that you will start your kenjutsu training as of tomorrow. We will start off slow so you can grasp the concept of the last stage of chakra control. If you make as much progress as I think you will, you _will_ have mastered at least one style for at least _two_ of these weapons by the time you graduate and become a Genin. The question is, Naruto, are _you_ ready?" Setting down one of the many katana contained in the room, he stood before here, trying his best not to bounce on the balls of his feet.

"Of course! Though why didn't we do this while we did taijutsu?" She sighed, taking one of the steps as her seat, and looked at Naruto from his full height. From how skilled he was at his age, it was hard to believe he was still a child at heart. _Inexperienced nonetheless, but he is also childish. He'll need to understand this concept to take in students of his own._

"Because, Naruto. You could have gotten hurt if you hadn't been in apt practice of taijutsu. Taijutsu, as it is, opens the doors to practice with kenjutsu, bakijutsu, soujutsu, and the like. The reason why it does that is because it gives you time to learn proper motion and stance when holding a kunai, which will _heavily_ affect your skill with other weapons such as katanas and other long bladed weapons. Based off of what your style of taijutsu, as they may be while you are fighting, I would recommend a you start with a katana and a ninjato out of the selections here. Weapons like that kusarigama, the yari, and the odachi require more… _extensive_ training and focus. However, it is your choice to choose what you wish to pursue in, and I will teach you to the best of my abilities. I will not give you false hope, but I had originally mastered the handling of each of these weapons before my fortieth birthday. Hopefully, you will not have to do so in order to survive as I had. The Warring States Era was as bloody and violent as one might imagine, before we had established peace with what used to be the Four Great Hidden Villages. Kirigakure came shortly after my thirty-fifth birthday." Shaking her head, a few memories came to mind- some were pleasant while others… they were a bit bloodier last time she thought of them.

"Okay… uh… I don't know what I wanna use besides the katana and the ninjato… but…" He inspected each of the racks- they had all sorts of items, some were brand new, like they had just been made… but the others looked a bit older in style- he assumed they were his grandmother's personal items. Though with so many choices… his brain felt like it was melting at the possibilities. _What interests me? I like swords… and I think they're cool and they fit me pretty good… but maybe…_

He was awfully interested in a _certain_ bladed spear, but he couldn't, for the life of him remember what it was called…

She'd caught wind of where his gaze lied, though the choices he made were awfully interesting.

"So, are you looking at the naginata? It is, after all, the superior weapon in both handling and practicality compared to the yari, and I can't say you didn't make the perfect choices." He looked at her, surprised that she'd known right away what he was interested in. _I thought she was distracted?_

"Y-Yeah… I figured that while the katana and the ninjato are widely popular and equally easy to master… that I should choose a long, maybe bladed weapon to kind of give me the same feel but also give me with something to hold someone off with. I mean, who uses a spear now? People would have to learn to fight me when I'm using it…"

"Well, you are pretty accurate in that regard. But you also missed the reasons why I say it was the _perfect_ choice. Your taijutsu style heavily relies on both the speed and the strength of the practitioner…"

"Practi- what?" _What did that word mean again?_ Naruto thought, head slightly tilted in an odd display of confusion.

"Prac-tish-uh-ner. In other words, the person who practices, or in another part of the word, _wields_ it as a weapon."

"Practitioner?"

"Yes, Naruto. As I was saying, your taijutsu style heavily relies on your own body's natural speed and strength. If both are not present, you will not be able to do any real damage because of the offset balance that the typical counter-moves to, say, a kick, rely on. It may look flashy in some regards, but each move is meant to rely on what is called cen-tri-petal and _cen-tri-fu-gal force._ In other words that you might understand, one of your kicks is like a spinning object that impacts from the center of the spiral outwards, like the blade of that spear right there. It uses the force of your grip with the slash of the blade on the end, kind of like a katana except it's on a stick. It gives it an explosive release from something called inertia, which you will learn later in the academy. In other words, think of it like an overhead axe kick, except, with a blade involved, which can break and cut through armor. It can also be used to stab, since it does end with a bladed tip." His mouth formed a wide 'o' as she finished, muttering nonsensical stuff under his breath as he lost himself in thought. _That sounds awesome! I could like, do all sorts of stuff with it… but the swords… hehe…_

Little animations and nonsensical scenarios played out in his mind as he imagined what it would _look_ like to wield his new choice of weaponry. _There's gotta be some stuff for kenjutsu in the library that I could pick up if I asked baa-chan… oh! And then there's that one Jounin guy with the silver hair and stuff. Everyone said he was super good at it too!_

"Naruto?"

"Huh?"

"I said, that Mikoto and her family have invited us to their home for lunch. And you missed the last part of my explanation, but I suppose that we can go over some more advanced katas on how to use each of these weapons the tomorrow, but after a small test. That's because of certain circumstances, your fireball jutsu will also be passed or failed tomorrow by Fugaku. But… I wouldn't worry too much about that. You have long since mastered that jutsu. The Uchiha clan's council will stop harassing me about it once they see that my tutelage is not as old as my age. They keep whining about "current age" practices and methods. I couldn't care less though…"

"Okay. So when do we leave?"

"After you clean up your mess in the backyard- Tatsuo will be coming with us, so make sure _both_ of you are on your best behavior. _No blowing shit up, understand?_ " He gulped, carefully setting down one of the dark-bladed katana sitting the rack nearest to the stairs. Naruto suddenly found the ground really interesting…

"Of course, Madara-obaachan…"

* * *

 **Well, that's about it. The "big surprise" from his grandmother may not have been all that big, but to be honest, it's meant to be a reason to start kenjutsu training. Madara Uchiha was a master of all things related to the art of war,** _ **including**_ **weaponry. I mean, he had like what,** _ **several**_ **legendary items crafted for him, just for that purpose? On top of that, it also seems to be that the weapons he primarily used were staffs and war fans. I'll try and get into some information regarding that, but for now, I'd like to pace myself here. I want to try and build on these important relationships between Naruto and the rest of the village. I think that this wasn't done in the original series an awful lot, and it was like there was the villagers on one side, with the entire ninja population on the other. There was no correlation between the members of the village and the ninja populace except for the occasional scene at the bar. Then, it kinda just happened after Pein's attack that Naruto's magically the big, brave hero for everyone. I hated it.**

 **Also, if I end up taking longer than a day or two to post, it means that I am trying to improve on what will happen next. At the rate this story is going, I would imagine it'll take maybe sixty, at the most eighty chapters to complete. Keep in mind the length of the chapters will normally be above 5k words, but will not go above 9 to 10k words for reasons that, the longer the chapter is, the more confusing the events and correlation of the storyline to the characters will get for me. And because of this, I would like to apologize to people waiting for the next update. I am trying.**

 **One last thing- for anyone who was hoping for an all around Naruto chapter, that is coming up. This was to help give more, if it was needed, insight onto the behaviors and beliefs for Naruto held by Madara Uchiha in this fic, for the most part.**

 **So, without further adeu, I will see all of you guys in the next chapter. Peace!**


	5. Enthusiasn And Knowledge, A Surprise?

**Hello there everybody, and yes, I'm sorry for not posting. But the reason for that? I was offered the chance to spend a few days in Idaho Falls and I could** _ **not**_ **resist the temptation. So, we'll be kicking off from where we started last with a few reviews.**

 **Guest- Uhhh what? You did read the title of the story you were clicking on…. right? Being a direct descendant of an Uzumaki and Hashirama, while a good idea, isn't as unique as the one I am writing of now. That one has been trial and error for a while now, and I'd rather show him as a more… untested kind of shinobi when it comes to abilities. It actually gives a bit more depth with the whole scheme of things, especially when the evolution of power is involved.**

 **Banjo the Fox – Thank you! Also, that wasn't meant to show a particular 'bashing' of a character, rather than being what the depths of insanity will do to people.**

 **Insanemaelstorm – Thanks, again! You seem to have caught on pretty quickly on her character portrayal. So far, it's going as planned if that seems to be the consensus. Also, mentioning the weapon, I will have him use at least three. I'd rather give unique insight on how fighting styles will go in comparison with the shape of the blade from the hilt, or, the tsuba.**

 **And so, the fifth chapter begins…**

"Normal Speaking/Story Dialogue" – In Regular Print

" _Thoughts, Emphasis, Shouting" –_ In _Italics_

 **"** **Kyuubi/Tailed Beast/Distorted Chatter"** **In** **Bold**

 **"** _ **Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/Kyuubi Thought (In same section of dialogue)/Jutsu"**_ **In** _ **Bold Italics**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, :'(**_

* * *

 _ **Uchiha Clan Compound**_

Besides the excited chatter between Naruto and Tatsuo, they had all but forgotten to knock. With a small swish of air the door slid open, revealing none other than the smiling face of Mikoto Uchiha, one that Naruto quickly recognized as Satsuki's mother.

"Hello there Naruto-kun, Madara-chan. And I see you brought little Tatsuo-kun along as well. Satsuki, come here! Your friends have arrived!" Barreling across the hallway, she came at the moment she had spoken, nearly snapping her door off of its hinges as she raced down the hallway to meet the birthday boy. Loud footsteps rung throughout the compound, leaving a panting raven-haired girl clasping her knees with a wide smile stretched thin across her face.

" _Mou_ , Naruto! You could've at least told me that you were stopping by, ya know?" He smiled back, waving over to his classmate with an excited grin.

"Sorry, I just couldn't wait!" A sudden shock hit him, and he realized it as the thought was gnawing in the back of his mind. Naruto put a finger to his chin, scratching it lightly as he tried to figure out the cause for such a thing. _Wait a second… I'm 8 years old now, which means…_

"Wait a second… you're older than me, Satsuki?!" She grinned, hands at her hips with a suave motion of her nose pointing towards the ceiling.

"July 23rd, Naruto. Looks like I win." He turned to Tatsuo, who quietly stood behind him, and he shrugged at Naruto's accusing finger.

"September 13th… I guess you're out of luck, Naruto." He deadpanned, hanging as low as his arms would take him. _I'm younger than everybody… this sucks._

Madara noticed the slight downtrodden expression he wore, and delivered a swift rappel of her knuckles scoring across the top of his head, causing the boy to look up at her in indignant, childish anger.

"You're all children anyways, so does it matter? Go on, shoo! Play outside or something until it's time to eat." Brightening, he quickly took Satsuki's hand in his own, placing Tatsuo in a headlock as he dragged the two along through the door, heading straight for the local Konoha playground.

The trio, one nervous and another angrily trotting beside young Naruto, marched along the winding streets of Konoha- stopping only when another group of children came into their conjoined vision.

"Why are we coming here, Naruto-kun?" Tatsuo looked at her questioningly, tilting his head for added effect as Satsuki blushed furiously.

"Naruto-kun, is it?" She glared at him, pouting with a furious clench of each of her respective fists.

"Don't say it, unless you want your hands gone by tomorrow, Tatsuo." He nodded, blankly looking ahead as they approached the packed playground with stoic indifference. Satsuki's eye twitched, only looking away when a few of the children, particularly two girls, steadily approached.

"Are you guys here, to play too?" The blonde, painfully skinny, held out her hand to Naruto, who blinked as he pointed towards himself.

"Yeah, but what does that got to do with me?" She giggled, taking his hand as he stumbled after her. He caught himself quickly, walking behind her with his hand captured in her own with a happy smile. Several others, most that he recognized as his classmates, came up to surround the trio.

"Well, we were just curious about something. Is it true that you're related to Madara-sama, by chance?" His eyes shined with pride at the mention of his grandmother, closer to his mother than anything- they had an incredibly close bond, after all.

"Yeah, she's my grandmother… aren't you Ino, the Yamanaka clan heir? I heard your dad's super tall… it's nuts!" She laughed, rubbing the back of her head as she let go of his hand, standing next to a nervously twitching pinkette beside her.

"So that's what you think of when you see me… heh…" She shook her head, wrapping an arm around the silent pinkette as she stared at the ground, nervously tracing circles with her foot.

"A-Anyways, this is Sakura Haruno, my best friend in the whole world! We're in your class training to be ninja, like you." Said girl bowed on mention of her name, and he nervously took a step back, unnerved by the odd greeting.

"H-H-Hi… it's nice to m-meet you, Naruto…" His eyes softened, and he looked back to Satsuki, who was fiddling with a small, palm-sized rubber ball in boredom. Tatsuo was stoic as always, like a stone in the middle of a pond.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. I hope… we can be good friends, Sakura. These two are my first friends, Tetsuo and Satsuki, though I warn you, Satsuki is more like an ape than a-" The ball she'd been playing with firmly found its place in the back of his head, rebounding to impact Tatsuo's own forehead. It fell to his feet, and he picked it up, and mimicked the actions, throwing it against Naruto's head and this time, bouncing away to hit an approaching Kiba, of course, in a place that put him to his knees. Satsuki grinned, mouth tilting at the corners with a small thumb jerked in his direction.

"Nice throw." Naruto rubbed his now bruised melon, hotly staring at Satsuki with a grin of his own.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play it… alright then…" She nodded victoriously, crossing her arms in wait for the more than likely punishment to approach. However, she wasn't expecting to be thrown over the boy's shoulder, and a string of curses soon found themselves pouring from her mouth.

"Hey Tetsuo, feel like playing catch? I promise it'll be f-" A fist crammed into his shoulder, making him drop the smaller girl as he rubbed his shoulder, laughing as Satsuki glared in his direction.

"Just because it's your birthday, doesn't mean you get off scot free, Naruto." He patted her head, quickly turning at a dead sprint with a grin on his face. Kiba's eyes went wide with horror as the irate Uchiha was hot on his heels, dead set on murdering about anything in her path.

"You're it! Last person to get tagged has to eat a frog!" Satsuki's eyes narrowed as she tackled him to the ground, stepping on his back- and purposefully kicking his leg as she ran in the direction of Ino and Sakura. She swept past them, grinning as she quickly dodged around the approaching Nara with a twist of her heel. He stared as she circled the sandy hollow, Naruto staring readily back at her from the other side.

"Aren't you going to go with them, Ino, Sakura?" They both smiled, looking over to them as Ino rushed over, joining Satsuki in goading Naruto's chase.

"What about you, Shikamaru?" He sighed, dragging his gaze over to the laughing trio, followed closely by a blankly staring Tetsuo running beside Naruto in chase.

" _Troublesome_." She giggled, watching as they turned back into their direction. She pushed him in the way at the last second, making the normally lazy Nara crash into Naruto, rolling to the ground in a groaning heap. He looked up, watching as Ino victoriously poked him in the forehead.

"Not anymore… I don't intend to eat a frog, Ino." She laughed, but froze solid as she stood still, unable to move. Her shadow extended back to where Shikamaru had been lying on the ground, making her eyes widen in horror at the implications. He tapped her shoulder, releasing the jutsu and quickly running off, leaving her to search for her friends in panic.

"Did you think I did either, Shika?!"

* * *

"So, it looks like you've really been pushing Naruto these days." Madara sipped at her tea, grinning as she thought of her son- all but in name, of course.

"Well, little Naru has a lot of potential, and with these recent happenings I want him to be prepared. He might be a bit excited all the time, but he's got a lot of energy." Her grip around the small teacup tightened, leaving her coal orbs to stare into the depths of the liquid, admiring the ripples of the beverage, watching as it waved to and fro inside its' container. _Container… it's also time I told Naruto of his burden. He needs to know sooner, rather than later._

"I bet. Speaking of him… when do you think it'll be time to let him know about… well… _it_?" Her body froze, unable to move from the sudden comment. It was almost as if, in some way, that she knew exactly where her mind was going. _I guess real mothers can read minds, huh?_

"Yeah. I just… want to make sure that he's ready for what comes next. When he finds out, it'll never escape him, and will always be on his mind." Mikoto gently cupped her hands, palms rubbing against bottom of Madara's wrists with a kindly smile.

"Naruto is honest, hard-working, motivated, determined, and strong-willed. Something like that, it won't change him. Have faith in him, and he will place faith in you on his own." She chuckled a bit, downing the rest of the refreshing liquid, sighing as a myriad of footsteps sounded past the front door.

"I'll do it. For now, let's give him a birthday he won't forget. He deserves that much, at least." Madara stood, pushing the chair back as the door slid open, revealing a rather bruised and dirt covered Naruto. Flanking his sides were Tatsuo and Satsuki, equally dirty and eyes drooping in exhaustion.

"I can't believe Ino even licked the frog… that was nuts." Satsuki grinned, nodding in agreement as she kicked off her sandals, padding over to the table and settling herself into one of the dining room chairs. A plethora of different dishes smothered the table, steam wafting from each of the platters- enough that the three young academy students couldn't help but salivate. Tatsuo albeit was a bit more reserved about it, but that was incomparable to Naruto and Satsuki's equally famished bodies.

The door to the Uchiha home opened once more, revealing a rather excited yet unknown Uchiha, flanked by the father of the family, Fugaku and one Itachi Uchiha. They placed their sandals neatly to the side, making great headway to the table in preparation. The younger man at Itachi's side sat next to Naruto, rubbing his hands with a wide grin at all of the food currently present.

"Welcome home Itachi, Fugaku. I see you're here too, Shisui. It's good to see you again!" He nodded happily, spotting Naruto in all of his glory- head tilted to the side as dirt fell from his hair at the simple motion of the crimson tinged locks of raven hair.

"Yeah, and I can finally see this Naruto kid I've been hearin' about. Nice to meetcha, I'm Shisui Uchiha." Naruto took his offered hand, shaking it up and down, confused beyond all belief.

"Naruto Uchiha. Hey, are you strong by chance?" Shisui found himself caught off guard with the sudden question, and bashfully rubbed his neck.

"Well, I don't know about strong with these people here, but I'm pretty good I guess." Naruto's eyes sparkled, smiling wide with anticipation. He pumped his fist, inwardly cheering to himself at the possibility- more than likely of a spar.

"Let's have a contest!"

"Hah? What're we doing?" Naruto's grin was nearly splitting his face as he gestured to the overwhelming mountain of food set at the table.

"Who can eat more, let's see it! Winner demands anything they want from the other!" Shisui mimicked his actions, once more taking his hand as they prepared themselves for what was to come next.

"You're so on. Prepare to lose, chibi!"

"Whatever you say, Shisui-teme!" They rubbed their hands together, expectantly looking in Itachi's direction, who desperately hoped to mask his presence at the table. With a long, drawn out sigh, he held up three fingers, silently moving them down. Madara was already loading her own plate, several others doing the same in hopes to eat _anything_ at all in sight of the two odd boys.

"Satsuki, hurry up and get something before it's gone!" Mikoto's nervous smile and fervent pointing gave her the hint she needed, and she too found herself eating as if her life depended on it. Tatsuo was quietly looking between the two and Itachi, watching the countdown with interest.

Itachi's sole remaining finger delayed for a second, before turning into a fist that motioned forward.

"Begi-" Satsuki looked on in horror as food flew from the table, and soon enough they were tearing into the prepared dishes like rabid wolves. Plates stacked beside them, leaving her to look on in shock as their mouths filled and depleted faster than what should have been humanly possible- until now. _What the hell do they do to eat that much?! And Naruto thinks that I'm the ape?_

She watched as Naruto's hand swiped away a dinner roll from her plate, making her swat his hand in anger as she shoved the object into her mouth, joining in the contest unintentionally. Her hunger came back to bite her, and laughs erupted from Madara and Mikoto, and a deep chuckle from Fugaku as Naruto shoved water down Shisui's throat- a noodle loosely hanging from his throat as he failed to swallow in time.

"Don't die before I beat you, teme!" He coughed, cringing as his expanding stomach stretched further to accommodate the newly poured mountain of race at his plate. He looked to the side- Naruto's pace had _sped up_ , much to his shock. _What?! When did he?_

He hurriedly began eating, pushing himself to his limits as it came down to the last bowl- freshly cooked soba noodles hanging from the edges. Time slowed down for them, equal amounts of plates and bowls scattered near them. His fingers brushed the edge, and his face scrunched up comedically as Naruto snatched it away, practically swallowing the noodles with barely hidden excitement. He quickly downed the broth, sighing happily as his hand brushed against his stomach. Itachi's hand shook as his lips drew taut. Pointing in Naruto's direction, Shisui pouted in defeat as he promptly let his hands hang loosely at his sides.

"Looks like Naruto's appetite can't be beaten, Shisui." Satsuki groaned, hand held up in a 'V' as she jerked a thumb at her own stack of plates. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as the massive stack of plates at the girl's behest, noticing that his own stood almost a _foot_ shorter.

"I… w-win…" She passed out, happily snoring away as Naruto and Shisui laughed between each other, enough causation for Itachi's eyes to twitch at his dear little sister.

"It can't be that bad, right?" Shisui pridefully smirked, nose pointing to the ceiling. Naruto could've sworn that it was extending, but he passed it off as some random Genjutsu as his unknowingly did the same.

"Five… laps… lake… boulder…" Her head rose from her arms, a tired yet equally evil smile making its way to the duo.

"Five laps with a boulder, what a breeze!" She shook her head, chuckling a bit to herself in the process.

"Five _hundred_ laps, with a moss boulder on your back. Both of you." They gulped, whispering between each other frantically, eyes darting back and forth between their conversation and the steadily snoring girl at the other end of the table.

" _Truce?_ "

" _For sure. I don't want to turn into another Might Guy, or die trying!_ "

" _Who says it has to be carried on our backs?_ " Shisui tilted his head looking at the younger boy with a grin.

" _In a storage seal?_ "

" _Yep._ "

"I heard you. No seals, just the boulder." They both fell, fearful smiles painting their visages as tears spilled from the corners of their eyes.

" _We're dead_." Madara snorted, a feral crack of her lips splitting her jaw from ear to ear at the mental image of the two furiously panting. The rest of the night ended in several bouts of teasing, a quickly eaten cake, and left the guests still awake to pick up after the rather eventful night. Once everything had been cleaned, Madara bid farewell to her kin, retreating to her home at the edge of the Uchiha villa where she and young Naruto would retire for the night.

* * *

Awake.

Such a thing, it was odd from the tiredness that usually followed at the end of the day. Naruto rubbed his eyes, quickly exiting his bed, yawning as he passed through into the bathroom.

 _The Kyuubi_.

The sudden vision of his visage slightly terrified him, more than it normally should have. He backed up, halting as he studied the jagged, long canines that poked away from the top of his lip. The Sharingan in both of his orbs swirled, letting watch closer, studying how the tooth retracted back into his mouth to its normal position.

"What does this mean? What am I missing?" He shook his head, picking up his toothbrush as a thin line of paste spread across its surface. He brought it into his mouth, gently brushing the surface as thoughts pervaded his mind. _I feel happiness swelling in my gut, almost lifting. But why does it feel so sad, like a voice drowned beneath water?_

 _ **Naruto.**_

His hand froze, nearly dropping the brush in surprise, leaving him staring into the reflection of the mirror once again. A lone tear fell from his eye, dripping past his cheek as they continued to soak into his shirt. He quickly wiped the offending droplets away, reaching the bristles to the back of his mouth as they scraped about his tongue, spit dribbling into the sink as the water washed it away. He flossed quicker than he'd thought, making his way out of the bathroom, nearly tripping over his own feet as he redressed.

"Maybe…" Naruto quickly shook the thoughts away, smiling bright as he could in the mean time. His feet found the comfort of his sandals, and he almost didn't bother to strap them to his feet as he rushed down the steps in excitement. _Why am I crying? I'm starting kenjutsu!_

Madara had been quietly reading a newspaper, watching the open hallway in interest as Naruto glided on his feet around the corner. _His eyes are red… did he sleep at all last night? Of course he did, he was passed out long before we got home…_

"Are you ready to start the day, Naruto-kun?" He fervently nodded, sitting at the table as she stood, quickly setting a plate, filled with food, at his readily waiting hands. Naruto tore into it, idly listening as his beloved grandmother made herself present at his side.

"Training with any weapon is going to be a fair bit different than Taijutsu. Because of what you've chosen, we're going to be molding you into, at the very least, a master of both Kenjutsu and Soujutsu, which will hone your body for the usage of both sword and spear. I'm guessing you've nearly mastered the concept of the fifth stage of chakra control, Naruto?" Setting his fork down, he quickly wiped his mouth as he reached for a nearby glass of water, tilting his head back as he swallowed.

"Yeah. I can get about eight minutes in… but thirty is a little bit out of reach for me right now."

"I see. Well, it makes no difference. Your chakra control might not be ready for some of the more advanced techniques, but that will come with the learning curve. Right now, we'll be focusing on the more important parts, like finding and molding a stance that will fit your body. You're tall, and for your age, you have a bit more weight than most of the other kids in your class. Of course, that could be the fact that you're the furthest in your training, but we need to make sure regardless. Follow me." She stood, briskly navigating the halls until she reached the front door, leaving him to walk side by side in the direction of their normal training grounds- the lake contained within the Uchiha compound. Naruto was practically bouncing the entire way- only stopping when an oddly dressed man came into view. His neon green spandex suit gleamed in the sun, and he was seen practicing all sorts of different taijutsu combinations, seamlessly flowing into his preferred pattern.

"Who's that, Madara-obaa-chan?" She chuckled deviously, grinning wide as she called out, yelling at the top of her lungs in a rather enthusiastic manner. He stopped mid-swing, marching over to the Uchiha duo, legs raised and spirits high. As soon as he'd reached them, Naruto could tell he was very much regretting his earlier excitement.

"This, Naruto-kun, is the single greatest Taijutsu user, and possibly the only man who can match me in my prime in skill with the blade. Also, he will be handling your strength training from now on, so please do be respectful to him, and pay attention to his lectures." Naruto quivered ever so lightly as his eyes met the furiously waggling, oddly large eyebrows of his new sensei. Madara turned on her heel, whistling to herself as she walked off from the training ground. Stopping, she turned quickly in response to his Naruto's glare, grinning bright.

"You'll be with him for eight hours a day, and don't worry about chakra control- you'll work on that the remaining four hours and come back home when you're done. Since you only spend about three hours in the academy during the mornings, this is perfect!" Naruto cringed, his head robotically turning to face the now furiously dancing man in dismay- his life was soon to be over. _His presence alone unnerves me… it's like standing in the middle of one of those male-only hot springs, Kami help me!_

"Naruto-kun, at your gracious guardian's behest, you will train in this during our time together! It is durable, tough, stretch, and clings to the right places, just as she told me that you like your clothing, huzzah!~" Naruto's eyes widened in horror at the offending neon green suit and matching orange warmers, and the very thought made him seriously re-evaluate his life choices. _Is it possible to die of embarrassment at this age? If it is, then I sure hope that I can get married later in life…_

And so, the grueling training has begun between the enthusiastic savant and the robust shinobi-to-be. It seems like Naruto's wits are to be tested, as well as the very limits of his physical capabilities in the years to come.

* * *

 **For being gone for so long, yeah, I know this chapter is rough around the edges and shorter than the others. However, I feel like, given his personality, training is a great way to introduce more characters who will be impacting how he grows in the future. I hope all of you have a wonderful day, and do keep in mind that I am reading the reviews when I have time. Also,** _ **yes**_ **, Snake Bite will be getting a new chapter soon, so keep an eye out for that as well. Sayonara, my little readers!**


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